- Date Of Birth: March 27, 1944
- Date Of Death: December 30, 2008
- State: Illinois
William L. “Willie” Brown Jr., 64, of Jacksonville, IL died Tuesday evening, December 30, 2008 at Memorial Medical Center in Springfield, IL.
He was born March 27, 1944 in Jacksonville; the son of William J. and Beulah Briscoe Brown. He married Vivian Wiley on July 11, 1970 in Gary, IN and she survives.
He is also survived by two daughters, Pamela M. Solomon (husband, Ervin) of Houston, TX and Makala Lovell (husband, Damen) of Jacksonville; five grandchildren, Ashley Solomon of Houston, TX and Randy Hardy, Devin Lovell, MaKenna Lovell, and Daylen Lovell, all of Jacksonville; a brother, Marshall L. Brown of Springfield; and several nieces and nephews.
He was preceded in death by his parents; a son, Lawrence L. Brown; a brother, James L. Brown; and grandparents, Ada Williams, Alton J. Briscoe, Pearlie Robson Fearson, and Will Brown.
Mr. Brown was a 1963 graduate of Jacksonville High School and attended Kirksville College in Kirksville, MO. He served with the US Army during the Vietnam War. He was employed as a department manager for the J. C. Penney store and later managed the AZAR Big Boy restaurant, both in Gary, IN. He later served as a millwright for Inland Steel of East Chicago. He returned to Jacksonville to begin a 27 ½ year career with the Jacksonville Police Department including many years as a patrolman and later as a detective. He also assisted with the Central Illinois Drug Task Force. Following his retirement, he worked as a state fire marshal from 2003 to 2007 with the Illinois Department of Fire Protection. He was a member of Mt. Emory Baptist Church, the Fraternal Order of Police, and the P.B.P.A.. He enjoyed fishing, hunting, and spending time with his grandchildren and family.
