- Date Of Birth: November 4, 1943
- Date Of Death: May 2, 2013
- State: Florida
Mr. Al Brown of Destin, Fla., known to lifelong friends as Rodney and to his family as “Big Daddy” lost his battle with cancer Thursday, May 2, 2013. He was born Nov. 4, 1943, to Van Peavy and Albert Lorenzo Brown of Vienna, Ga. When he was four his parents divorced and he moved to Clermont, Fla., where his mother met and married Harry Gifford. Upon graduating high school in 1961, Al joined the Navy. He served three and a half years in the Navy then returned to Clermont where he married the former Mary Collins. Before their marriage, he went to work for his birth father employed in the construction segment of Holiday Inns of America. It was there Mr. Brown learned a trade that served him well for the next 46 years.
He remained employed by Holiday Inns of America for two years then went to work for Puckett and Associates out of Tampa, Fla. In 1973, he joined Varner Construction out of Memphis. Three years later, Mr. Brown located to the Florida Panhandle with his wife and twin daugh-ters and initially worked for Bell Construction. In 1977, he established Beta Builders, Inc. with Clois Darnell who he had met during the time he worked for Puckett and Associates. A year later, he became sole owner and for the next 35 years, he built homes in Destin, Shalimar, Fort Walton Beach and Santa Rosa Beach as well as several commercial buildings.
His mother, father and stepfather preceded Mr. Brown. But his biggest heartbreak was the unexpected loss of his daughter, the beautiful and vivacious Kelly Renneker Westbury who left behind seven children and a hole in the hearts of everyone who knew and loved her. Her death forever changed the dynamics of a marriage and the lives of several family members. Mr. Brown is survived by his wife, Mary; his three children, Wendy Brown Tindall of Fort Walton Beach, Fla., Lanny Brown of Gulf Shores, Ala., Robbie Brown of Destin, and their sig-nificant others, Doug Tindall, Matt Lumpkin and Jeannie Price; grandchildren, Kayla Brown, Kassie and Kyler Renneker, Sam and Jan Lowe, Dawson, Reese, Addason, Kaden Kelly and Josh Westberry. In addition, his unofficial adopted grandchildren, Cameron Gagliano and John and Mary Kate Lumpkin; stepmom, Vicki Brown, Perry, Ga.; son-in-laws, Tom Renneker and Dale Westberry; brothers, Keith Brown, Memphis, Tenn., Ray and Sam Gifford of Montverde, Fla.; sisters, Kathy Bartolli, Clermont, Fla., and Kim Novack, Montverde. In addition to his immediate family, he leaves behind five very special friends, Bob Attkison, the Villages, Mary Ann and Lanny Adkison, Orange Park, Fla., Roger Peale and Wade Fleshman, Destin.
