Rev. Kenneth V. Brown

The Reverend Kenneth Vincent Brown, 98, passed away peacefully at his home at Shannonell in Audubon, PA on Tuesday, May 19, 2009. Ken was born and raised in Norristown, Pennsylvania and was the son of the late Arthur and Agnes Marie (Stones) Brown. He was a graduate of NHS class of 1928(S). After graduation he worked for several years with the Philadelphia Electric Company and then went on to graduate Summa Cum Laude and Phi Beta Kappa from Washington & Jefferson College in Washington, PA in 1941. On August 31, 1940 he married Anna Mary Pester of Norristown, who died in 2006. He earned his Master of Divinity degree in 1944 from Princeton Theological Seminary and was ordained as a Presbyterian minister in May 1944 at First Presbyterian Church in Norristown. He did additional graduate work at Union Seminary in New York. He served as a Navy Chaplain during WWII aboard the USS Sitkoh Bay and was a member of the Naval Ready Reserve until 1971 when he retired with the rank of Lieutenant Commander.He answered his first call in 1946 as Pastor of First Presbyterian Church in New Hyde Park, NY, where he served for over thirty-two years. During his pastorate in New York he was Moderator of the Long Island Presbytery as well as chair and member of several committees of the Presbytery and served several times as General Assembly Commissioner and Synod Delegate. While on Long Island, he was also the Director of the Nassau Council of Churches. Following his retirement and return to Norristown in 1979, he served as interim Pastor at Port Kennedy Presbyterian Church, Valley Forge Presbyterian Church as well as Jeffersonville Presbyterian Church and was a supply pastor in several area churches. Ken Brown was a Mason with Norristown Lodge #620 and a member of the Valley Forge High Twelve Club, No. 305. In 1991 he was elected to the Norristown High School Hall of Fame. As a resident of the Shannondell Retirement Community since 2003, Ken also became involved with the clergy group there. In addition to his unwavering faith, and love of his family, many friends and his country, he had a great love for the game of golf, which he played into his nineties.He will be remembered by: his sister Margaretta "Mickey" (Brown) Printz; his five children; Ken Brown, Jr. of Mont Clare PA, Peggy (Vince) Wattai of Lebanon, PA, Fred (Nancy) Brown of King of Prussia PA, Bob (Floreen) Brown of Plainview, NY, and Betty (Brown) Vivian of Herndon, VA; his grandchildren: Chad, Scott and Jill Wattia, Bill (Mychal), Joe (Lesley) and Ken Brown, Jesse (Lorraine), Ryan (fiancée Erica Kobay), Sarah Brown and Ashley Jahns, Cassandra and Matthew Vivian; and great-grandchildren: Giavanna and Ava Brown, Cameron and Logan Brown, and Zacharia Johnson, as well as many nieces and nephews. He is predeceased by his brothers, Joseph H. Brown and F. Walter Brown, and sisters, Alberta "Bert" Barrett and Elizabeth "Betty" Gather.Friends and relatives are invited to his Funeral Service at the First Presbyterian Church of Norristown, 113 E. Airy St., Norristown, PA 19401 on Friday, May 22, 2009 at 11:00am. The Reverend Walter Dosch will preside. His viewings are Thursday evening from 6 to 8pm, at The Bacchi-Courtney Funeral Home & Crematory, Ltd., 805 DeKaIb St. (Rt. 202), Bridgeport, PA 19405 and Friday morning from 10 to 10:50am, at the church. A Mason service will be Thursday evening at 7pm, at the funeral home.In lieu of flowers, gifts in his memory may be made to any of the following: The Rev. Kenneth V. Brown Scholarship, c/o Washington and Jefferson College. 60 S. Lincoln St., Washington, PA 15301 (checks should be made out to "Washington and Jefferson College"). Presbyterian Church USA Board of Pensions Assistance Program, 2000 Market St., Room 3024, Philadelphia, PA 19103-3298 (please note that this is in memory of Reverend Mr. Kenneth V. Brown with checks payable to the "Board of Pensions of the Presbyterian Church USA"). This program assists ministers and employees of the church with financial aid.www.bacchicourtney.com