Charles Foster Brown

Charles Foster Brown (Charlie/Chuck) 76, of Westminster, MD passed away at Carroll Lutheran Village on February 11, 2020. He was the son of the late Dorothy E. (Bowers) and Paul Conley Brown.  Born in Pittsburgh, PA he lived his elementary years in Mars, PA and later resided on the “Brown” family farm in Butler, PA. His ancestry dates back to the first settlers in Penn Township; and to this day, a part of the original farm remains in the family.

He was a graduate of Youngstown State University in Ohio. He proudly served 26 years in the United States Army and retired as a Major in the Pennsylvania National Guard. Among his many awards was the Pennsylvania Meritorious Service Medal. Mr. Brown loved senior citizens and spent over thirty years in nursing home administration. He served as the Executive Director of Carroll Lutheran Village for nine years, and retired in 2005 as Executive Director of the Glen Meadows Presbyterian Retirement Community in Glen Arm, MD. He helped found the first Carroll Hospice in Westminster, MD and served as Chairman of the Board from 1993-1999.

His many interests included woodworking, gardening, hunting, fishing, golfing, hiking in the Rockies and calligraphy, a talent he used to create Christmas remembrance balls for Hospice and other groups. On his MD property he built an apiary and was a member of the Carroll Beekeeper’s Association. During the holiday season he joyfully sang with the Dickens Carolers throughout Vail Valley, CO and blessed the Covenant Presbyterian Church services in Beaver Creek and Vail Chapel with his rendition of “Oh Holy Night” on Christmas Eve. Another cherished tradition was gathering on Christmas Day with family and friends in a yurt at 11,000 feet in the CO Rockies.

He is survived by his wife, Kathryn C. Brown (Scolo) of Brooklyn, NY. On October 2, 2019 they celebrated 48 years of marriage. He leaves a son, Marshall Brown of Avon, CO, a daughter, Aurora Brown Sprincz and son-in-law Kevin Sprincz, of Eagle, CO and two granddaughters Mackenzie and Katie Sprincz. Also surviving are his sisters Betty Lou Grabe (Brown), Jeannette Moyer (Brown) and Paullette Bingham (Brown), his adopted father Dean Huselton of Butler, PA, his sister-in-law Dolores Trimboli of New York as well as numerous cousins, nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his sister Nancy Gillman (Brown) and brothers-in-law Jerome Trimboli and Paul Gillman.

Mr. Brown was a faithful believer and a lifelong member of the Nixon United Methodist Church. This church was founded in a cabin by his great, great, great grandfather Robert Brown, in 1797. A plaque on the present church bears his name.

A remembrance service for family and friends will be held in Krug Chapel at Carroll Lutheran Village on Tuesday February 18th, with a visitation at 1 pm and a service at 2 pm.  A memorial celebration filled with song will be held later in the spring at the Nixon United Methodist Church, 334 Airport Road, Butler, PA. That date and time to be announced on the Fletcher Funeral Home website, listed below. The burial will follow that service at the Brownsdale Cemetery and afterwards a formal luncheon will be served at the church. All family, friends and the Nixon Church congregation are welcome. Local MD beekeeper, Monica Schmidt, has prepared commemorative jars of honey to be gifted during the luncheon. More information may be found on the Fletcher Funeral Home website https://fletcherfuneralhome.net.

Donations can be made to: Nixon Methodist Church (access ramp fund), 334 Airport Road, Butler, PA 16001 or Friends of Disabled Veterans in Carroll County, ℅ The Community Foundation of Carroll County, S255 Clifton Blvd., Suite 313, Westminster, MD 21157.

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