Obituary of Charles R Brown

Charles R. Brown died Monday, August 23, 2021, at Park Place Center in South Brunswick. He was 89. Born in Red Springs, North Carolina to the late Charles R. and Cleo (Troutman) Brown, he lived in Lansford, Pennsylvania and Metuchen before moving to New Brunswick in 1955. He was an executive with New Jersey Bell (now Verizon) in North Jersey for over 30 years before retiring in 1987. In the mid-1950s he worked with a Bell Labs team to develop audio for astronaut's headgear. He also worked as a sales engineer for Executone Communications Systems selling intercoms systems. After retirement he co-owned and operated a dry cleaners in Lakewood and dabbled in real estate. Mr. Brown was a communicant of St. Mary of Mount Virgin R.C. Church in New Brunswick where he served as a lay reader. He was a member of the North Brunswick Italian American Club, was a Boy Scout Master for Troup #115 and was president of the Milltown Chamber of Commerce, where he helped organize the first Milltown Country Fair. An avid golfer, musician, motorcycle enthusiast, music and movie buff, he enjoyed crabbing and fishing on his boat from his home in Barnegat. He loved woodworking and building electronics. A veteran of the United States Air Force he served in Korea during the Korean War as a sharpshooter who supervised a safety and weapons control team, was an airborne radio operator, mechanic and navigator on C-36 and B-17 aircraft. He was past commander of Amvets in South River and was a member of the American Legion and Catholic War Veterans. His wife Ernestine M. (Nardone) Brown died in 2020. He was also predeceased by his sister Pansy Brown. Surviving are two daughters – Beth Murray and her husband James of Bolivia, North Carolina and Judith Burch and her husband John of New Brunswick; his son Charles "Randy" Brown, Jr. and his wife Lori of Holland, Pennsylvania; his sister Virginia Gangemi of Lake Worth, Florida; his stepsister Ann Schneider of Ocean; and three grandchildren – Elizabeth, Katie and Randy. Visitation will be 2:00 PM to 5:00 PM Sunday at Selover Funeral Home, 555 Georges Road, North Brunswick. Funeral services will be 9:15 AM from Selover Funeral Home followed by a 10:00 AM Mass at St. Mary of Mt. Virgin Church in New Brunswick. Entombment will follow in St. Peter's Cemetery in New Brunswick. Memorial contributions may be made to Complete Care at Park Place, 2 Deerpark Drive, Monmouth Junction, NJ 08852.