- Date Of Birth: May 15, 1931
- Date Of Death: February 17, 2015
- State: Indiana
Robert H. Brown 83, of Elkhart and formerly of Las Vegas, passed away at 8:40 a.m. Tuesday, Feb. 17, at Woodland Manor.
He was born May 15, 1931, in Elkhart, to Thomas and Flossie (Robbins) Brown.
A railroader with the New York Central Railroad, he met the love of his life, Helen E. Schmidt, at the Main Street railroad crossing in Elkhart. They married July 1, 1954, in Elkhart.
He is survived by Helen, his loving and amazing wife of 60 years, along with two daughters, Debra (Michael) Platz of Elkhart and Sandra Chapman of Richmond, Va.; three sons, Robert Brown of Elkhart, Steven (Kimbra) Brown of Riverside, Calif., and David (Wanda) Brown of Richmond; five grandchildren, Bryan Platz, Brett Platz, Melissa Brown (Matthew) Reiman, Jennifer (Joshua) Schrock and Tracey Earick; and three great-grandchildren, Braley Platz and Emmely and Carson Schrock.
He was preceded in death by both of his parents and two daughters, Elizabeth (David) Earick and Ramona Brown.
At 16 years old, Robert, following in his father’s footsteps, was employed by the NYC Railroad. He retired after 45 years with Conrail. He and Helen retired in their beloved city of Las Vegas, where they vowed to never walk in snow again. He enjoyed the weather, bowling, golf, the Las Vegas lights, family and friends, watching his Atlanta Braves and playing video poker throughout his golden years.
Robert was a U.S. Army veteran of the Korean War. An avid bowler, he reminisced of his years at Oakland Lanes. A passionate baseball fan, between 1966 and 1979 he dedicated his time involved with Osolo Little League. He loved the game and served as a coach, manager, umpire, vice president and president. During that time he was influential in introducing girls softball to the Little League environment at Osolo.
They lived in Las Vegas for 21 years until health issues resulted in a move back to Elkhart in 2014 to be near family. He lived a full and happy life on his own terms. He will be missed.
He was a lifelong member of the Loyal Order of the Moose.
