Chauncey Brown

Chauncey Robert Brown died as the result of heart failure just before noon on June 18, 2020. He was born in Macomb Illinois on September 21, 1930 where he lived in the log cabin on the way into town. As a young boy his family moved to Knoxville, Illinois where he graduated from Knoxville High School. He joined the United States Army in 1950 and served in the Korean conflict from 1951 to 1952. Returning from war he returned to Macomb Illinois where he attended Western Illinois University for two years. He lived in a funeral home as the overnight watchman to support his studies. He met and married Marlene Elizabeth Larson in 1955 and they had a son Steven Eugene Brown in 1957. Both Chauncey and Marlene worked at the Charles S Gamble music store where Marlene taught organ lessons for 13 years, and Chauncey sold Hammond organs, often demonstrating with his sole party piece, "Do you Ever Think of Me?" Chauncey soon went on to a career in the telephone company in Galesburg. He took an interest in amateur radio earning is advanced amateur radio license. He also learned to fly at L.B. Lundry Flying Service at the Galesburg Airport, along with his son Steve. There they were friends with Jim Leahy, who founded the Galesburg Stearman Fly-in. In 1975 Chauncey and Marlene followed his job with Central Telephone of Illinois to Des Plaines, Illinois and lived in Lake Zurich. Marlene also worked for the telephone company after their son Steve started college and the two retired together to Arizona in 1987. They later lived in Bull Shoals Lake, Arkansas, and moved back to Galesburg in 2000. He is preceded in death by his wife Marlene who died of cancer in 2005. He is survived by his son Steve. Chauncey will be interred in East Linwood Cemetery in Galesburg Illinois next to his wife Marlene.