Ed Brown

Edgar "Ed" Burl Brown, 82, loving husband and father, passed away Wednesday, July 21, 2010, after a brief illness. A longtime resident of Buncombe County, he was born on January 16, 1928 in Fort Collins, Colorado to the late Thomas Burl and Lettie Estelle Harris Brown. He is survived by his wife of 51 years, Betty Wilson Brown; his son, Timothy Burl Brown, and wife, Isabelle David of Chicago, IL; his daughter Kelly (Brown) Rouse, and husband, Phil Rouse of Cornelius, NC; and four grandchildren: Marie Mungenast, Estelle Brown, and Paul Brown, all of Chicago, and Wilson Rouse of Cornelius. He was preceded in death by his brother, Carrol Edwin Brown. He was a World War II Veteran. He served in the Army Air Corps from 1945 to 1949. He served in multiple squadrons as an aircraft radio operator and was a certified B-17 Gunner. He retired in 1992, after 38 years of employment with Cliff Weil, Inc., where he was a sales representative. He then continued to work as a contractor for Cliff Weil for several more years, and following retirement, he worked for Hertz until recently. He was a member of West Asheville Baptist Church since 1955, where he served as a Deacon, Usher, and Sunday School Teacher, and participated on several other church-based committees. He also served as a Gideon in the early 1980s. A flying enthusiast, he was a member of the Western North Carolina Pilots Association. He was also a Captain and certified search and rescue instructor for the Western North Carolina Civil Air Patrol (CAP), an auxiliary of the United States Air Force. He served as a dedicated Commander for the CAP Asheville Squadron's youth group, where he mentored many youth in the Asheville area. An avid outdoorsman, Ed loved hunting, fishing, backpacking, water skiing, and scuba diving. A funeral service will be held at Groce Funeral Home at 1401 Patton Ave. at 11:00 a.m. on Friday with the Revs. Stan Welch and Ricky Townsend officiating. Burial will follow at Forest Lawn Memorial Park, with military rites conducted by the Buncombe Co. Veterans Council Memorial Team. The family will receive friends one hour prior to the service at the funeral home. Flowers are appreciated, or those who desire to make a memorial contribution are encouraged to consider West Asheville Baptist Church, 926 Haywood Road, Asheville, NC 28806.