A Very Full House...

From Mike Brown

On September 4, 2013, Frank D. Brown peacefully passed away.  He was the 8th child of Tandy and Grace Brown.  Frank grew up and attended school in Cheyenne.  Upon graduation from high school he enlisted in the US Marine Corps to fight the Japanese during WW II.  After completing boot camp and radio school he shipped out to the South Pacific to join “D” company, 3rd Tank Regiment, 3rd Marine Division.  His first posting was on Guadalcanal where he completed his combat training.  Following Guadacanal his unit was shipped to begin an assault on Bougainville.  While on Bougainville he was seriously wounded when an armor piercing shell exploded inside the tank in which he was riding.  He was transferred to a hospital ship for treatment, then to New Zealand to recovery.  He was offered the chance to return to the US but opted to rejoin his unit on Guam.  From Guam he was part of the force that landed on Iwo Jima.  While on the landing craft taking him to the beach he witnessed the raising of Old Glory on Mt. Suribachi.  For a more complete report on his service, read his submission to the Plain Brown Rapper, 18th edition.

Following his release from active duty he returned to Cheyenne and then enrolled in the Engineering School at Colorado A& M (now Colorado State University).  While in college he met his soon to be wife, Marilyn Lamb.  Upon graduation he began working for the Oregon Highway Department, followed by a long career with the Illinois Highway Department in Belleville, IL.  He and Marilyn celebrated their 66th wedding anniversary and his 90th birthday a few months prior to his death. 

They are the parents of three children:  Tandy in Estes Park, Colorado; Richard, deceased; and Chris (Ron) Metz in Beloit, KS.  Tandy has a daughter, Jennifer (Troy) Miles and two grandchildren, Nathan and Elizabeth.  Chris and Ron are the parents of Martin (Mackenzie) and Lewis.

I know all of us that knew Frank have a multitude of stories and memories.  I hope they will share them on this blog for our future generations to read and enjoy. 

I know that, at least in my case, Frank was the reason I became a Marine - in fact the reason I never considered any other option than to become a Marine.  I remember his return from the war when I was 5 years old, seeing him in his uniform and hearing his stories.  As I grew to know him and learned more about what he and the other Marines had done to protect our nation, the more committed I became to follow in his footsteps.  I am sure Charles and Dick have similar feelings.

I hope all of you join Nanette, our children and me in prayers for Frank and his family.

From Mike and Nanette

We just returned from a very exciting trip to Alaska.  We started in Vancouver where we left on a cruise through the inner passage; stopping in Ketchican, Juneau, Skagway, Sitka, Seward and Anchorage.  During the cruise we saw many beautiful and spectacular sights.  We rode a bus from Skagway to the summit that is the border between Alaska and the Canadian Yukon, then rode a narrow gauge train back down White Pass (this is the route the gold miners hiked to get to the Yukon gold fields).  We took a helicopter ride to Yaku Glacier near Juneau where we were able to walk around and look down the several hundred feet crevices in the ice into the pure blue core of the glacier.  We took jet boat rides to the Misty Fjords in Ketchikan and around the Sitka harbor watching whales, sea otters, seals, and other animals in thier native habitat.

However, none of this compared to arriving in Anchorage and meeting our brand new great-granddaughter, the Awesome Katy Rose Foster.  Awesome Katy Rose(as I call her) is our Amy’s first grandchild, and the daughter of her son, Michael, and Amanda.  She is a most beautiful and intelligent young lady, and has quickly wrapped her great-grandparents, grandmother, parents and aunt Megan around her tiny little fingers.  She confided in me that she likes all of them a lot, but her favorite is her great-grandfather.  No one else heard her but it is true.

All of us feel very blessed to have such a special addition to our family.

From Mike & Nanette

Our daughter (Amy) and granddaughter (Megan) just returned from a trip to Anchorage, Alaska to visit their son/brother (Michael).  He is managing a new Village Inn Restaurant that is one of the highest producing in the franchise’s chain.  They had a great visit and toured many interesting and beautiful places.  Michael also took Megan and his girlfriend, Amanda, zip lining in the mountains.  I suspect it will not be long before they make a repeat visit.