Robert W. Brown, Sr.

September 20, 2015 Robert White "Bobby" Brown, Sr., 88, of 414 East Main St., husband of Eugenia Adams Brown, passed away on Sunday, Sept. 20, 2015 at Laurens County Memorial Hospital. Mr. Brown was born in Spartanburg County on Oct. 23, 1926 and grew up in Pacolet, a son of the late B.F. and Ruth White Brown. He was a United States Army veteran of World War II. He was assigned to Special Services with the First Corps and played baseball and basketball to entertain the troops. When he returned home Mr. Brown signed a contract with the New York Giants and played in Hickory, N.C.; Fort Smith, Ark.; Jacksonville, Fla.; Knoxville, Tenn.; and Spartanburg. He attended Spartanburg Methodist College where he and his brother, Pete, played together on the basketball team. Both also played textile baseball. Mr. Brown also played basketball at Lenoir-Rhyne College and he attended Wofford College. Mr. Brown went to work for J.P. Stevens, Jonesville Plant in 1953. Initially he was hired as recreation director, which involved supervising games and after school and summer activities for the children in the mill village. A gym was located in the old YMCA building there. As part of his duties Mr. Brown also managed the textile baseball team. He played on the mill's slow pitch softball team, which had a good record. One year he also helped the high school by coaching the girls' basketball team. He loved the folks in Jonesville and they loved him. In 1956 Brown became personnel manager at the plant, a job he held until the plant closed in 1981. He was retired from Builders Transport and Holcombe Funeral Home. Mr. Brown was a member of First Baptist Church of Union where he had been named a life deacon. He was a former board member of the Union Hospital District Board of Trustees. Surviving in addition to his wife are his four children and their spouses: Amy Brown Satterfield and her husband, Mark, of Charlotte, N.C.; Robert Brown and his wife, Anna; Benjy Brown and his wife, Jennifer and Richard Brown and his wife, Jennifer, all of Union; seven grandchildren: Katie Resumovic and her husband, Amer, of Spartanburg; Laura Satterfield of Denver, Colorado; Rachel Satterfield of Augusta, Ga.; Bobby Brown, Angela Brown, Andrew Brown and Benjamin Brown; all of Union; and one great-grandson, Alec Resumovic of Spartanburg. He was predeceased by his sisters and brother, Dorothy Brown Bailey, Carolyn Brown and John R. "Pete" Brown. Funeral services will be held at 11 a.m. Wednesday at First Baptist Church of Union by Rev. Brad Goodale. Burial with Military Honors will be in Goucher Baptist Church Cemetery. Active pallbearers will be Randy Brown, Doug Coleman, Tommy Cudd, Hayden Genoble, Mark Sanders and Tommy Genoble. Members of the Sam Cain Sunday School Class and present and former deacons of First Baptist Church are asked to sit in a group. Members of the Holcombe Funeral Home grave staff are asked to assemble at the graveside. The family will receive friends at the church from 9:45 a.m. until 11 a.m. prior to the service. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that memorials be made to First Baptist Church of Union, 411 East Main St., Union, S.C., 29379.