William Brown

William (“Bill” or “Billie”) Brown was born on May 5, 1942, in Perry, Georgia.  He was the youngest of five children born to Annie and James Brown.  Bill was close to his siblings Inez, James (“J.D.”), John (“Bubba”) and Rebecca as well as his cousins and other relatives who lived nearby.   His youthful   adventures included playing near the railroad tracks, playing saxophone in a band and working as a bellman at the Perry Hotel.  

He graduated from Houston County Training School in Perry, Georgia.  After graduating from high school, he attended Texas Southern University in Houston, Texas, from which he earned a Bachelors of Science in Physics.  While at Texas Southern University, he met Katherine (“Kathy”) Peterson, a physical therapy student from Dallas, Texas.  He and Kathy married in Houston, Texas.  

Bill and Kathy moved to Seattle, Washington, in 1965 so that Bill could work at The Boeing Company as a computer programmer.  While working at The Boeing Company, he became affiliated with The Engineers’ Wives Club and maintained that affiliation for approximately 50 years.   During his early years in Seattle, Bill did graduate work at Seattle Pacific University.  

Bill worked in the public sector at various points in his career.  He worked as a planner for the City of Seattle and later worked as the Deputy Director of Licensing and Consumer Affairs for the City of Seattle.   His other career endeavors included commodities trading, real estate development, aircraft leasing, consulting and adult family home management.  

In addition to enjoying traveling to California to visit his children Sharon and Ronald, he enjoyed sightseeing on trips to Mexico, France and Italy.  In his spare time, he liked to play chess, watch football and spend time with family and friends.  

Bill passed on August 21, 2015, and is survived by his wife of 52 years, Kathy Brown; daughter Sharon Brown; son Ronald Brown; daughter-in-law Mary Rose Fernandez; granddaughters Ellis and Harper Brown; siblings Inez Harvey (wife of the late Clyde Harvey), John Brown (husband of Shirley Brown) and Rebecca Jenkins (wife of Fred Jenkins); brother-in-law and sister-in-law Tom and Doris Peterson; beloved cousins, nieces and nephews and a host of dear friends.  

The viewing will take place on Friday, August 28, 2015, from noon to 8:00 p.m. at Columbia Funeral Home located at 4567 Rainier Avenue South, Seattle, Washington 98118.

The memorial service will take place there on Saturday, August 29, 2015 at 11:00 a.m.