James J. Brown, attorney, community leader, and lifelong promoter of St. Ignace, Michigan, entered eternal life Monday evening, September 1, 2008, at his St. Ignace home. He was 87 years old.
He was born in St. Ignace April 28, 1921 to U.S. Senator Prentiss M. Brown and Marion (Walker) Brown.
Jim played four years of football and basketball at St. Ignace LaSalle High School and was on the independent baseball team in the area before his graduation from LHS in 1940.
He then enrolled at the University of Michigan. Freshmen were not allowed to play college football, but were still part of the Wolverines program and were used on the scout team against the varsity. Seniors on the Michigan team in the fall of 1940 were Wolverine greats Tom Harmon and Forest Evashevski. The team was coached by Fritz Crysler.
Jim played halfback/ quarterback for the Wolverines in his sophomore season (1941). While a student at the school, he was drafted and served two years in the U.S. Navy during World War II. He graduated from the University of Michigan in 1946, but didn't play football in his final two years. He later returned to the University and received a Juris Doctorate degree in 1951.
Jim was a partner in the law firm of Brown and Brown and served as the Mackinac County Prosecutor for 16 years, an office held by four generations of the Brown family.
Jim was president of First National Bank of St. Ignace and served on the board of directors for 50 years. He also was president of McGregor Oil Company, and was on the board of Union Terminal Piers/Arnold Transit Company.
He was the president of St. Ignace Area Schools Board of Education for 35 years, charter and founding member of the St. Ignace Kiwanis Club, a member of the St. Ignace American Legion Post and of Masonic Lodge #369, where he was a 32nd degree Mason. He also was a Shriner with the Ahmed Temple of Marquette and was a member of the United Methodist Church in St. Ignace.
Jim and his brothers owned the Republican-News and St. Ignace Enterprise before selling the newspaper to the Maurer family in 1975.
He loved St. Ignace high school sports, especially football, and was an avid golfer and a member of the St. Ignace Golf and Country Club. His favorite pastime was perch fishing and he sometimes caught enough for the Kiwanis Club to hold a fish fry fundraiser.
He married Dorothy "Sis" Bentgen April 18, 1943, in Miami, Florida. Jim and "Sis" had 11 children, Ruth, Barbara, Jane, Susan, Sally, Caroline, Prentiss or "Giz," Jim Jr., Bob, Paul, and Andy, who all were graduated from LaSalle High School.
Jim is survived by his wife and his 11 children, five sons and their families from St. Ignace, Prentiss "Giz" Brown III, James and Geri, Bobby and Krista, Paul and Cindy, and Andy and Lora; six daughters and their families, Ruth and Joe Visnaw, Jane Perry, Susan Pierson, Barbara Brown, and Sally and John Herbon, all of St. Ignace, and Caroline and Curtis Cheeseman of Carlisle, Pennsylvania.
He also is survived by two brothers and their families, Prentiss Jr. "Moie" and Margaret "Peggy" Brown of St. Ignace, and Paul and L. Margaret Brown of Mackinac Island; and two sisters and their families, Ruth and Forest Evashevski of Petoskey, and Barbara and D. Bruce Laing of Dowagiac; 14 grandchildren, and eight great-grandchildren.
He was preceded in death by two sisters and their husbands, Mariana and Hugh Rudolph and Patricia and A. Gardner Watson.
Pallbearers were his five sons and three sons-in-law.
Visitation: Wednesday, September 3, 2008 from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. at Dodson Funeral Home with Masonic rites at 7 p.m.
Funeral services: Thursday September 4, 2008 at 11 a.m. at the United Methodist Church with the Reverend James Balfour officiating.
Burial: Lakeside Cemetery in St. Ignace.
***On October 17, 2009, Jim was posthumously inducted into the LaSalle High School Sports Hall of Fame.
Jim was more than an outstanding athlete at LaSalle High School (LHS). He was one of the biggest Saints fans. Behind the scenes, he worked hard to improve the quality of athletic programs at the school.
As president of the St. Ignace School Board, he was instrumental in placing the first lights at Saints Field in the early 1950s, along with his brother, Prentiss "Moie" Brown, Jack Ryerse, and Mel LaChapelle.
In the late 1960s, the football field needed a new surface, and Jim and some others stepped in.
"We borrowed the sod cutter from the St. Ignace golf course and cut sections of sod, one to two feet wide," said Giz Brown. "After all the sod was cut, new sand and black dirt was placed and the sod was replaced, giving St. Ignace one of the best fields in the area."
The James Brown Scholar - Athlete Award was established at LaSalle during the 1980-81 school year. Each year, one male and one female athlete receive this award in Jim Brown's name.
Jim was a tough and fierce competitor on the football gridiron, basketball hardwood, baseball diamond, and golf links, but just as much, his heart was dedicated to the St. Ignace Saints sports program.***
He was born in St. Ignace April 28, 1921 to U.S. Senator Prentiss M. Brown and Marion (Walker) Brown.
Jim played four years of football and basketball at St. Ignace LaSalle High School and was on the independent baseball team in the area before his graduation from LHS in 1940.
He then enrolled at the University of Michigan. Freshmen were not allowed to play college football, but were still part of the Wolverines program and were used on the scout team against the varsity. Seniors on the Michigan team in the fall of 1940 were Wolverine greats Tom Harmon and Forest Evashevski. The team was coached by Fritz Crysler.
Jim played halfback/ quarterback for the Wolverines in his sophomore season (1941). While a student at the school, he was drafted and served two years in the U.S. Navy during World War II. He graduated from the University of Michigan in 1946, but didn't play football in his final two years. He later returned to the University and received a Juris Doctorate degree in 1951.
Jim was a partner in the law firm of Brown and Brown and served as the Mackinac County Prosecutor for 16 years, an office held by four generations of the Brown family.
Jim was president of First National Bank of St. Ignace and served on the board of directors for 50 years. He also was president of McGregor Oil Company, and was on the board of Union Terminal Piers/Arnold Transit Company.
He was the president of St. Ignace Area Schools Board of Education for 35 years, charter and founding member of the St. Ignace Kiwanis Club, a member of the St. Ignace American Legion Post and of Masonic Lodge #369, where he was a 32nd degree Mason. He also was a Shriner with the Ahmed Temple of Marquette and was a member of the United Methodist Church in St. Ignace.
Jim and his brothers owned the Republican-News and St. Ignace Enterprise before selling the newspaper to the Maurer family in 1975.
He loved St. Ignace high school sports, especially football, and was an avid golfer and a member of the St. Ignace Golf and Country Club. His favorite pastime was perch fishing and he sometimes caught enough for the Kiwanis Club to hold a fish fry fundraiser.
He married Dorothy "Sis" Bentgen April 18, 1943, in Miami, Florida. Jim and "Sis" had 11 children, Ruth, Barbara, Jane, Susan, Sally, Caroline, Prentiss or "Giz," Jim Jr., Bob, Paul, and Andy, who all were graduated from LaSalle High School.
Jim is survived by his wife and his 11 children, five sons and their families from St. Ignace, Prentiss "Giz" Brown III, James and Geri, Bobby and Krista, Paul and Cindy, and Andy and Lora; six daughters and their families, Ruth and Joe Visnaw, Jane Perry, Susan Pierson, Barbara Brown, and Sally and John Herbon, all of St. Ignace, and Caroline and Curtis Cheeseman of Carlisle, Pennsylvania.
He also is survived by two brothers and their families, Prentiss Jr. "Moie" and Margaret "Peggy" Brown of St. Ignace, and Paul and L. Margaret Brown of Mackinac Island; and two sisters and their families, Ruth and Forest Evashevski of Petoskey, and Barbara and D. Bruce Laing of Dowagiac; 14 grandchildren, and eight great-grandchildren.
He was preceded in death by two sisters and their husbands, Mariana and Hugh Rudolph and Patricia and A. Gardner Watson.
Pallbearers were his five sons and three sons-in-law.
Visitation: Wednesday, September 3, 2008 from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. at Dodson Funeral Home with Masonic rites at 7 p.m.
Funeral services: Thursday September 4, 2008 at 11 a.m. at the United Methodist Church with the Reverend James Balfour officiating.
Burial: Lakeside Cemetery in St. Ignace.
***On October 17, 2009, Jim was posthumously inducted into the LaSalle High School Sports Hall of Fame.
Jim was more than an outstanding athlete at LaSalle High School (LHS). He was one of the biggest Saints fans. Behind the scenes, he worked hard to improve the quality of athletic programs at the school.
As president of the St. Ignace School Board, he was instrumental in placing the first lights at Saints Field in the early 1950s, along with his brother, Prentiss "Moie" Brown, Jack Ryerse, and Mel LaChapelle.
In the late 1960s, the football field needed a new surface, and Jim and some others stepped in.
"We borrowed the sod cutter from the St. Ignace golf course and cut sections of sod, one to two feet wide," said Giz Brown. "After all the sod was cut, new sand and black dirt was placed and the sod was replaced, giving St. Ignace one of the best fields in the area."
The James Brown Scholar - Athlete Award was established at LaSalle during the 1980-81 school year. Each year, one male and one female athlete receive this award in Jim Brown's name.
Jim was a tough and fierce competitor on the football gridiron, basketball hardwood, baseball diamond, and golf links, but just as much, his heart was dedicated to the St. Ignace Saints sports program.***
James J. Brown, attorney, community leader, and lifelong promoter of St. Ignace, Michigan, entered eternal life Monday evening, September 1, 2008, at his St. Ignace home. He was 87 years old.
He was born in St. Ignace April 28, 1921 to U.S. Senator Prentiss M. Brown and Marion (Walker) Brown.
Jim played four years of football and basketball at St. Ignace LaSalle High School and was on the independent baseball team in the area before his graduation from LHS in 1940.
He then enrolled at the University of Michigan. Freshmen were not allowed to play college football, but were still part of the Wolverines program and were used on the scout team against the varsity. Seniors on the Michigan team in the fall of 1940 were Wolverine greats Tom Harmon and Forest Evashevski. The team was coached by Fritz Crysler.
Jim played halfback/ quarterback for the Wolverines in his sophomore season (1941). While a student at the school, he was drafted and served two years in the U.S. Navy during World War II. He graduated from the University of Michigan in 1946, but didn't play football in his final two years. He later returned to the University and received a Juris Doctorate degree in 1951.
Jim was a partner in the law firm of Brown and Brown and served as the Mackinac County Prosecutor for 16 years, an office held by four generations of the Brown family.
Jim was president of First National Bank of St. Ignace and served on the board of directors for 50 years. He also was president of McGregor Oil Company, and was on the board of Union Terminal Piers/Arnold Transit Company.
He was the president of St. Ignace Area Schools Board of Education for 35 years, charter and founding member of the St. Ignace Kiwanis Club, a member of the St. Ignace American Legion Post and of Masonic Lodge #369, where he was a 32nd degree Mason. He also was a Shriner with the Ahmed Temple of Marquette and was a member of the United Methodist Church in St. Ignace.
Jim and his brothers owned the Republican-News and St. Ignace Enterprise before selling the newspaper to the Maurer family in 1975.
He loved St. Ignace high school sports, especially football, and was an avid golfer and a member of the St. Ignace Golf and Country Club. His favorite pastime was perch fishing and he sometimes caught enough for the Kiwanis Club to hold a fish fry fundraiser.
He married Dorothy "Sis" Bentgen April 18, 1943, in Miami, Florida. Jim and "Sis" had 11 children, Ruth, Barbara, Jane, Susan, Sally, Caroline, Prentiss or "Giz," Jim Jr., Bob, Paul, and Andy, who all were graduated from LaSalle High School.
Jim is survived by his wife and his 11 children, five sons and their families from St. Ignace, Prentiss "Giz" Brown III, James and Geri, Bobby and Krista, Paul and Cindy, and Andy and Lora; six daughters and their families, Ruth and Joe Visnaw, Jane Perry, Susan Pierson, Barbara Brown, and Sally and John Herbon, all of St. Ignace, and Caroline and Curtis Cheeseman of Carlisle, Pennsylvania.
He also is survived by two brothers and their families, Prentiss Jr. "Moie" and Margaret "Peggy" Brown of St. Ignace, and Paul and L. Margaret Brown of Mackinac Island; and two sisters and their families, Ruth and Forest Evashevski of Petoskey, and Barbara and D. Bruce Laing of Dowagiac; 14 grandchildren, and eight great-grandchildren.
He was preceded in death by two sisters and their husbands, Mariana and Hugh Rudolph and Patricia and A. Gardner Watson.
Pallbearers were his five sons and three sons-in-law.
Visitation: Wednesday, September 3, 2008 from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. at Dodson Funeral Home with Masonic rites at 7 p.m.
Funeral services: Thursday September 4, 2008 at 11 a.m. at the United Methodist Church with the Reverend James Balfour officiating.
Burial: Lakeside Cemetery in St. Ignace.
***On October 17, 2009, Jim was posthumously inducted into the LaSalle High School Sports Hall of Fame.
Jim was more than an outstanding athlete at LaSalle High School (LHS). He was one of the biggest Saints fans. Behind the scenes, he worked hard to improve the quality of athletic programs at the school.
As president of the St. Ignace School Board, he was instrumental in placing the first lights at Saints Field in the early 1950s, along with his brother, Prentiss "Moie" Brown, Jack Ryerse, and Mel LaChapelle.
In the late 1960s, the football field needed a new surface, and Jim and some others stepped in.
"We borrowed the sod cutter from the St. Ignace golf course and cut sections of sod, one to two feet wide," said Giz Brown. "After all the sod was cut, new sand and black dirt was placed and the sod was replaced, giving St. Ignace one of the best fields in the area."
The James Brown Scholar - Athlete Award was established at LaSalle during the 1980-81 school year. Each year, one male and one female athlete receive this award in Jim Brown's name.
Jim was a tough and fierce competitor on the football gridiron, basketball hardwood, baseball diamond, and golf links, but just as much, his heart was dedicated to the St. Ignace Saints sports program.***
He was born in St. Ignace April 28, 1921 to U.S. Senator Prentiss M. Brown and Marion (Walker) Brown.
Jim played four years of football and basketball at St. Ignace LaSalle High School and was on the independent baseball team in the area before his graduation from LHS in 1940.
He then enrolled at the University of Michigan. Freshmen were not allowed to play college football, but were still part of the Wolverines program and were used on the scout team against the varsity. Seniors on the Michigan team in the fall of 1940 were Wolverine greats Tom Harmon and Forest Evashevski. The team was coached by Fritz Crysler.
Jim played halfback/ quarterback for the Wolverines in his sophomore season (1941). While a student at the school, he was drafted and served two years in the U.S. Navy during World War II. He graduated from the University of Michigan in 1946, but didn't play football in his final two years. He later returned to the University and received a Juris Doctorate degree in 1951.
Jim was a partner in the law firm of Brown and Brown and served as the Mackinac County Prosecutor for 16 years, an office held by four generations of the Brown family.
Jim was president of First National Bank of St. Ignace and served on the board of directors for 50 years. He also was president of McGregor Oil Company, and was on the board of Union Terminal Piers/Arnold Transit Company.
He was the president of St. Ignace Area Schools Board of Education for 35 years, charter and founding member of the St. Ignace Kiwanis Club, a member of the St. Ignace American Legion Post and of Masonic Lodge #369, where he was a 32nd degree Mason. He also was a Shriner with the Ahmed Temple of Marquette and was a member of the United Methodist Church in St. Ignace.
Jim and his brothers owned the Republican-News and St. Ignace Enterprise before selling the newspaper to the Maurer family in 1975.
He loved St. Ignace high school sports, especially football, and was an avid golfer and a member of the St. Ignace Golf and Country Club. His favorite pastime was perch fishing and he sometimes caught enough for the Kiwanis Club to hold a fish fry fundraiser.
He married Dorothy "Sis" Bentgen April 18, 1943, in Miami, Florida. Jim and "Sis" had 11 children, Ruth, Barbara, Jane, Susan, Sally, Caroline, Prentiss or "Giz," Jim Jr., Bob, Paul, and Andy, who all were graduated from LaSalle High School.
Jim is survived by his wife and his 11 children, five sons and their families from St. Ignace, Prentiss "Giz" Brown III, James and Geri, Bobby and Krista, Paul and Cindy, and Andy and Lora; six daughters and their families, Ruth and Joe Visnaw, Jane Perry, Susan Pierson, Barbara Brown, and Sally and John Herbon, all of St. Ignace, and Caroline and Curtis Cheeseman of Carlisle, Pennsylvania.
He also is survived by two brothers and their families, Prentiss Jr. "Moie" and Margaret "Peggy" Brown of St. Ignace, and Paul and L. Margaret Brown of Mackinac Island; and two sisters and their families, Ruth and Forest Evashevski of Petoskey, and Barbara and D. Bruce Laing of Dowagiac; 14 grandchildren, and eight great-grandchildren.
He was preceded in death by two sisters and their husbands, Mariana and Hugh Rudolph and Patricia and A. Gardner Watson.
Pallbearers were his five sons and three sons-in-law.
Visitation: Wednesday, September 3, 2008 from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. at Dodson Funeral Home with Masonic rites at 7 p.m.
Funeral services: Thursday September 4, 2008 at 11 a.m. at the United Methodist Church with the Reverend James Balfour officiating.
Burial: Lakeside Cemetery in St. Ignace.
***On October 17, 2009, Jim was posthumously inducted into the LaSalle High School Sports Hall of Fame.
Jim was more than an outstanding athlete at LaSalle High School (LHS). He was one of the biggest Saints fans. Behind the scenes, he worked hard to improve the quality of athletic programs at the school.
As president of the St. Ignace School Board, he was instrumental in placing the first lights at Saints Field in the early 1950s, along with his brother, Prentiss "Moie" Brown, Jack Ryerse, and Mel LaChapelle.
In the late 1960s, the football field needed a new surface, and Jim and some others stepped in.
"We borrowed the sod cutter from the St. Ignace golf course and cut sections of sod, one to two feet wide," said Giz Brown. "After all the sod was cut, new sand and black dirt was placed and the sod was replaced, giving St. Ignace one of the best fields in the area."
The James Brown Scholar - Athlete Award was established at LaSalle during the 1980-81 school year. Each year, one male and one female athlete receive this award in Jim Brown's name.
Jim was a tough and fierce competitor on the football gridiron, basketball hardwood, baseball diamond, and golf links, but just as much, his heart was dedicated to the St. Ignace Saints sports program.***
