Obituary written in memory of Nolan Brown by a very good friend, Joe Price.
I lost a very dear friend and just learned of it today. I am writing this because of several reasons, but one being, I was told he had no obituary written because no one was found to give any information, plus, I feel like it’s the right thing to do. You see, my friend died with no one with him….no family stepped up I was told and certainly no friends. My friend, Nolan Brown, died alone on October 30, 2016 after only two days in a nursing home at the age of 82. He was concerned for a while now that something would happen to him and no one would ever know. He wanted to make sure that I knew and would make sure he had an American Flag on his casket. He was very patriotic and I served with him in the Mississippi National Guard for six years back in the 70’s and he continued to serve and even did a short tour in Afghanistan. His greatest accomplishment in his mind was serving his country. One might ask what constitutes a dear friend and it’s something we could all ponder I guess. I am fortunate to have many people that I hope I can call fiends, but none that exhibited what this person did, nor do I for my friends either, as a matter of fact. For several years he would call almost every single week with very few exceptions just to “see how I was doing, and if I was ok”. I cherish the dozen voice messages I have on my phone from him; he had an uncanny ability to call me right when I was in a meeting or a conference call and couldn’t answer, so he always left a message. I took pride that he would call me for advise on occasion, making me feel special. Not hearing from him for several weeks I became concerned and I called the VA Hospital in Jackson and they had no record of him being there. I checked every obituary and newspaper I could think of and no results. I have no knowledge of next of kin to ask…I didn’t even know the street he lived on in Vicksburg. Today I called the Vicksburg Police Department and they very professionally began checking into it while I was holding on the phone. A very nice Lady Captain came on the line and informed me that at approximately 11:34 PM on October they were dispatched to the nursing home. She apologized profusely for having to give me the news today. She directed me to the nursing home and they in turn directed me to the proper funeral home for confirmation. I was told that someone donated a grave site. My concern today was…did he get the American Flag he so dearly coveted. I was told YES! They knew from his papers that he was a Veteran. For this, I am grateful. Nolan Brown was a good man and he earned this right.
The only time I would see Nolan is when I would stop on my way through Vicksburg and buy his lunch. His favorite place was KFC…buffet of course, and our short meetings could easily spill into an hour or more laughing and telling stories of past together. The last time I saw my friend he told me he had something special to show me. He went to his car and came inside KFC with every single medal and ribbon he had earned and it was framed. (I think he did the framing himself) He was so proud to serve his country and I was honored he wanted to share it with me. Nolan was so instrumental when Robbie Sartin and I kicked off Mid-South Peanut Company. He was the most loyal worker I have ever known and would work tirelessly, never complaining. Oh, the stories we could tell and he loved hearing them too because he was usually right in the middle of them….good and bad. Most people reading this might remember his skating at the local skating rink where he could put a match in his mouth, bend over and strike it on the floor going full speed.
I know that this is not a well written obituary, but he deserved more at the end than a pauper’s funeral with no one there and no obituary in print. He was such a simple man, yet taught lessons he never realized. I hope that in some way he would be smiling down knowing that I cared and cherished his friendship. RIP my friend, Nolan Brown.
I lost a very dear friend and just learned of it today. I am writing this because of several reasons, but one being, I was told he had no obituary written because no one was found to give any information, plus, I feel like it’s the right thing to do. You see, my friend died with no one with him….no family stepped up I was told and certainly no friends. My friend, Nolan Brown, died alone on October 30, 2016 after only two days in a nursing home at the age of 82. He was concerned for a while now that something would happen to him and no one would ever know. He wanted to make sure that I knew and would make sure he had an American Flag on his casket. He was very patriotic and I served with him in the Mississippi National Guard for six years back in the 70’s and he continued to serve and even did a short tour in Afghanistan. His greatest accomplishment in his mind was serving his country. One might ask what constitutes a dear friend and it’s something we could all ponder I guess. I am fortunate to have many people that I hope I can call fiends, but none that exhibited what this person did, nor do I for my friends either, as a matter of fact. For several years he would call almost every single week with very few exceptions just to “see how I was doing, and if I was ok”. I cherish the dozen voice messages I have on my phone from him; he had an uncanny ability to call me right when I was in a meeting or a conference call and couldn’t answer, so he always left a message. I took pride that he would call me for advise on occasion, making me feel special. Not hearing from him for several weeks I became concerned and I called the VA Hospital in Jackson and they had no record of him being there. I checked every obituary and newspaper I could think of and no results. I have no knowledge of next of kin to ask…I didn’t even know the street he lived on in Vicksburg. Today I called the Vicksburg Police Department and they very professionally began checking into it while I was holding on the phone. A very nice Lady Captain came on the line and informed me that at approximately 11:34 PM on October they were dispatched to the nursing home. She apologized profusely for having to give me the news today. She directed me to the nursing home and they in turn directed me to the proper funeral home for confirmation. I was told that someone donated a grave site. My concern today was…did he get the American Flag he so dearly coveted. I was told YES! They knew from his papers that he was a Veteran. For this, I am grateful. Nolan Brown was a good man and he earned this right.
The only time I would see Nolan is when I would stop on my way through Vicksburg and buy his lunch. His favorite place was KFC…buffet of course, and our short meetings could easily spill into an hour or more laughing and telling stories of past together. The last time I saw my friend he told me he had something special to show me. He went to his car and came inside KFC with every single medal and ribbon he had earned and it was framed. (I think he did the framing himself) He was so proud to serve his country and I was honored he wanted to share it with me. Nolan was so instrumental when Robbie Sartin and I kicked off Mid-South Peanut Company. He was the most loyal worker I have ever known and would work tirelessly, never complaining. Oh, the stories we could tell and he loved hearing them too because he was usually right in the middle of them….good and bad. Most people reading this might remember his skating at the local skating rink where he could put a match in his mouth, bend over and strike it on the floor going full speed.
I know that this is not a well written obituary, but he deserved more at the end than a pauper’s funeral with no one there and no obituary in print. He was such a simple man, yet taught lessons he never realized. I hope that in some way he would be smiling down knowing that I cared and cherished his friendship. RIP my friend, Nolan Brown.
Obituary written in memory of Nolan Brown by a very good friend, Joe Price.
I lost a very dear friend and just learned of it today. I am writing this because of several reasons, but one being, I was told he had no obituary written because no one was found to give any information, plus, I feel like it’s the right thing to do. You see, my friend died with no one with him….no family stepped up I was told and certainly no friends. My friend, Nolan Brown, died alone on October 30, 2016 after only two days in a nursing home at the age of 82. He was concerned for a while now that something would happen to him and no one would ever know. He wanted to make sure that I knew and would make sure he had an American Flag on his casket. He was very patriotic and I served with him in the Mississippi National Guard for six years back in the 70’s and he continued to serve and even did a short tour in Afghanistan. His greatest accomplishment in his mind was serving his country. One might ask what constitutes a dear friend and it’s something we could all ponder I guess. I am fortunate to have many people that I hope I can call fiends, but none that exhibited what this person did, nor do I for my friends either, as a matter of fact. For several years he would call almost every single week with very few exceptions just to “see how I was doing, and if I was ok”. I cherish the dozen voice messages I have on my phone from him; he had an uncanny ability to call me right when I was in a meeting or a conference call and couldn’t answer, so he always left a message. I took pride that he would call me for advise on occasion, making me feel special. Not hearing from him for several weeks I became concerned and I called the VA Hospital in Jackson and they had no record of him being there. I checked every obituary and newspaper I could think of and no results. I have no knowledge of next of kin to ask…I didn’t even know the street he lived on in Vicksburg. Today I called the Vicksburg Police Department and they very professionally began checking into it while I was holding on the phone. A very nice Lady Captain came on the line and informed me that at approximately 11:34 PM on October they were dispatched to the nursing home. She apologized profusely for having to give me the news today. She directed me to the nursing home and they in turn directed me to the proper funeral home for confirmation. I was told that someone donated a grave site. My concern today was…did he get the American Flag he so dearly coveted. I was told YES! They knew from his papers that he was a Veteran. For this, I am grateful. Nolan Brown was a good man and he earned this right.
The only time I would see Nolan is when I would stop on my way through Vicksburg and buy his lunch. His favorite place was KFC…buffet of course, and our short meetings could easily spill into an hour or more laughing and telling stories of past together. The last time I saw my friend he told me he had something special to show me. He went to his car and came inside KFC with every single medal and ribbon he had earned and it was framed. (I think he did the framing himself) He was so proud to serve his country and I was honored he wanted to share it with me. Nolan was so instrumental when Robbie Sartin and I kicked off Mid-South Peanut Company. He was the most loyal worker I have ever known and would work tirelessly, never complaining. Oh, the stories we could tell and he loved hearing them too because he was usually right in the middle of them….good and bad. Most people reading this might remember his skating at the local skating rink where he could put a match in his mouth, bend over and strike it on the floor going full speed.
I know that this is not a well written obituary, but he deserved more at the end than a pauper’s funeral with no one there and no obituary in print. He was such a simple man, yet taught lessons he never realized. I hope that in some way he would be smiling down knowing that I cared and cherished his friendship. RIP my friend, Nolan Brown.
I lost a very dear friend and just learned of it today. I am writing this because of several reasons, but one being, I was told he had no obituary written because no one was found to give any information, plus, I feel like it’s the right thing to do. You see, my friend died with no one with him….no family stepped up I was told and certainly no friends. My friend, Nolan Brown, died alone on October 30, 2016 after only two days in a nursing home at the age of 82. He was concerned for a while now that something would happen to him and no one would ever know. He wanted to make sure that I knew and would make sure he had an American Flag on his casket. He was very patriotic and I served with him in the Mississippi National Guard for six years back in the 70’s and he continued to serve and even did a short tour in Afghanistan. His greatest accomplishment in his mind was serving his country. One might ask what constitutes a dear friend and it’s something we could all ponder I guess. I am fortunate to have many people that I hope I can call fiends, but none that exhibited what this person did, nor do I for my friends either, as a matter of fact. For several years he would call almost every single week with very few exceptions just to “see how I was doing, and if I was ok”. I cherish the dozen voice messages I have on my phone from him; he had an uncanny ability to call me right when I was in a meeting or a conference call and couldn’t answer, so he always left a message. I took pride that he would call me for advise on occasion, making me feel special. Not hearing from him for several weeks I became concerned and I called the VA Hospital in Jackson and they had no record of him being there. I checked every obituary and newspaper I could think of and no results. I have no knowledge of next of kin to ask…I didn’t even know the street he lived on in Vicksburg. Today I called the Vicksburg Police Department and they very professionally began checking into it while I was holding on the phone. A very nice Lady Captain came on the line and informed me that at approximately 11:34 PM on October they were dispatched to the nursing home. She apologized profusely for having to give me the news today. She directed me to the nursing home and they in turn directed me to the proper funeral home for confirmation. I was told that someone donated a grave site. My concern today was…did he get the American Flag he so dearly coveted. I was told YES! They knew from his papers that he was a Veteran. For this, I am grateful. Nolan Brown was a good man and he earned this right.
The only time I would see Nolan is when I would stop on my way through Vicksburg and buy his lunch. His favorite place was KFC…buffet of course, and our short meetings could easily spill into an hour or more laughing and telling stories of past together. The last time I saw my friend he told me he had something special to show me. He went to his car and came inside KFC with every single medal and ribbon he had earned and it was framed. (I think he did the framing himself) He was so proud to serve his country and I was honored he wanted to share it with me. Nolan was so instrumental when Robbie Sartin and I kicked off Mid-South Peanut Company. He was the most loyal worker I have ever known and would work tirelessly, never complaining. Oh, the stories we could tell and he loved hearing them too because he was usually right in the middle of them….good and bad. Most people reading this might remember his skating at the local skating rink where he could put a match in his mouth, bend over and strike it on the floor going full speed.
I know that this is not a well written obituary, but he deserved more at the end than a pauper’s funeral with no one there and no obituary in print. He was such a simple man, yet taught lessons he never realized. I hope that in some way he would be smiling down knowing that I cared and cherished his friendship. RIP my friend, Nolan Brown.
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