Ernie Brown Obituary (1931 - 2023)

Ernest (Ernie) Dee Brown passed away peacefully on September 26, 2023, at the age of 92. Ernie was born to Eva and Victor Brown on August 24, 1931, in Ogden, Utah. He was the oldest of 7 children. He grew up in several locations including Ogden, Utah; Palisades, Nevada; Rynden, Nevada and Weston, Idaho. He attended Ogden High School and graduated in 1949. He met his wife, Elaine Charlton, at a dance at the Ogden 3rd Ward. Ernie was scheduled for the draft, so they decided to get married before Elaine graduated from high school. They were married on December 23, 1950, at Elaine's home in West Weber. Ernie and Elaine began their family soon afterwards with the birth of their oldest daughter, Diane. They were subsequently married in the Logan Temple on November 24, 1952 and were sealed with their daughter Diane at that time. His family continued to grow with the birth of Cary, Stan, Nanette and Tommy. With the support (insistence) of Elaine, he enrolled in Weber State College and later the University of Utah to become an engineer. In June 1960, Ernie graduated from the University of Utah with a BS degree in Chemical Engineering. After graduation, Ernie and his family moved to El Segundo, California where he worked at the Standard Oil of California refinery as a process engineer in the Utilities Unit. The family later returned to Utah after Ernie accepted employment with Thiokol where he worked until 1986. While working at Thiokol, he became a "Rocket Scientist" as he would explain to anyone who happened to be within shouting distance. After retiring and as a result of his experience and expertise, Ernie had many consulting opportunities which took him and Elaine to Italy, France, Germany, and even Waco, Texas. Ernie had many varied interests and hobbies. He enjoyed boxing and boxed in the Golden Gloves welter weight division during high school. His boxing career ended when he began dating and attending dances at the local churches in Ogden. He was skilled at building and flying model airplanes. A hobby he began at age 10 and except when he was in college and raising his family, continued until his eyesight worsened to where he couldn't see the planes anymore. Ernie enjoyed shooting pistols and was on several shooting teams during college and while at Thiokol. He was skilled at carving and checkering gun stocks. This hobby began as an economic way to obtain a rifle and later grew into a passion for him. He reloaded ammunition for himself, family and friends. He would often brag about being able to reload for a small fraction of the cost of store-bought ammo. Ernie loved to fish and hunt. Hunting started promptly the first week of September with doves and finished the middle of January when the duck season ended. Most of the family vacations revolved around some sort of fishing activity. He had many adventures while hunting and fishing. Later in life, these adventures would become memorialized in all the stories he liked to tell. While in California, Ernie started to ride motorcycles with his good friend, Connel Layne. After getting a taste of being on a bike, he was hooked. He had several motorcycles, his favorite being a Triumph 650 he purchased in 1967. One of the family's favorite stories was when he brought a new Yamaha home without telling Elaine he had bought it. She had been saving to be able to pay for a batch of deer salami, and when he came home with the bike, the salamis started flying. Many of them finding their mark right between his eyes. He got involved in scouting with his sons and continued with scouting for several decades. Over the years, he mentored many young men in Varsity Scouting and he would affectionately call them his boys. He kept track of them as they grew and often would remark about achievements they would make as they grew and started families. He served on the Scouting Executive Committee for many years. He and Elaine had many outings inspecting scout camp facilities around the region. Perhaps Ernie's biggest hobby was telling stories of his adventures. As his hearing worsened, his story telling increased. Pretty soon, he had told his stories so many times, everyone started knowing them better than he did. Recently one of his neighbors commented on how much he enjoyed Ernie's stories, the first time! Surviving Ernie are his sisters Nina Gibson and Patricia Spitzer; his children and spouses Diane Brown Browning (Thomas), Cary Vic Brown, Stanley Dee Brown (Joyce) and Nanette Brown Berrett. Also surviving are our Danish family; Birget Hendriksen, Simone Knudsen, Marlene Zurek, Emilie Hendriksen, and Tobias Hendriksen. Those passing before him are Thomas L. Brown, Robert E. Berrett, John Hendriksen, Elaine C. Brown, and Julie S. Brown. Ernie and Elaine have 16 grandchildren, Jessie Paul, Samuel Browning, Teresa Larsen, Melissa Russell, David Brown, Steven Brown, Jen Anderton, Breanna Walker, Nathan Brown, Kristen Crandall, Stacy Hanna, Tenille Cannon, Candace Berrett, Preston Berrett, MeChel Bauer, and Taylor Jones. They have 49 great-grandchildren and one great-great-granddaughter. Our family is so grateful for the care and love shown by the many dedicated caregivers who served our dad and mom over the years. We cannot name everyone but we're especially grateful for Carly, Brian, and Ryleigh. They have truly become a loving part of our family. We love you all. Funeral services will be held at 2 p.m. on Monday, October 2, 2023 at the Pleasant View 12th Ward Church, 900 W. Pleasant View Drive. Friends may visit with family prior to the service from 12-1:30 p.m. Interment, Ben Lomond Cemetery, North Ogden, Utah. The service will be live streamed on Ernie's obituary page at www.myers-mortuary.com In lieu of flowers, we would appreciate that you make a donation to your favorite charity. Arrangements entrusted to Myers Mortuary, 845 Washington Blvd., Ogden Utah