Obituary: Joseph (Joe) Brown lll
Provided Photo
– April 13, 2024
Joseph Brown lll (Joe), 88, died April 13,2024 of pancreatic cancer. He died at home with his son Peter by his side. Suzanne, his wife of nearly 61 years, predeceased him on December 21, 2021. In addition to his son Peter, he is survived by his son Andrew.
Joe was raised in Springfield, Missouri, son of Joseph and Loretta Brown, now deceased. He had one sister, Sarah Elizabeth (Betty) also now deceased. He is a graduate of Davidson College, Davidson, NC and Emory Medical School in Decatur, GA. He completed his internship at Willian Beaumont Army Medical Center in El Paso, his residency in Pediatrics at Tripler Army Medical Center in Honolulu and his fellowship in Pediatric Infectious Disease at the University of Minnesota. After retiring from medical practice, he completed his Master’s Degree in Theology at Columbia Theological Seminary in Decatur, GA. He subsequently served as a Kierkegaard Scholar working in the Hong Kierkegaard Library at St. Olaf College in Northfield, Minnesota.
Joe completed a 26 year career in the Army that included stations with 2nd Armored Cavalry patrolling the then tense East German border, teaching positions at several Army Medical Centers, and finished his military career at the Army Institute of Infectious Diseases at Fort Detrick, Maryland. He then became chairman of the Department of Pediatrics at Texas Tech Health Sciences in El Paso, and subsequently becoming its Dean from 1990 until 1995.
All members of the family were avid skiers and upon retirement from Texas Tech they moved to Vail where Suzanne, a blind skier could enjoy open slopes. There they took up bicycle riding, rode on many week-long rallies including Ride the Rockies and the famous RAGBRAI across Iowa. They also rode on many organized tours in Europe including conquering several famous Tour de France climbs. Both Joe and Suzanne were very active in the Minturn Presbyterian Church and played an active part in its transition to Avon where it is now known as the Eagle River Presbyterian Church. Peter Brown remains a resident of Vail
Memorial gifts can be designated to:
Endowment Fund, Hong Kierkegaard Library
St. Olaf College
1520 St. Olaf Ave., Northfield, MN 55057
