Ronald W. Brown

Ronald Wellington Brown entered eternity on February 25, 2023, after a battle with cancer. He did not, however, lose his fight. While his physical body bore the scars of the battle, Ron’s faith came out unscathed, which he knew was the ultimate reward.

Ron was born October 17, 1945, in Elizabeth, NJ to Mollie and Leroy Brown. He graduated from Thomas Jefferson High School in 1963, then received a B.A. in history from Rutgers University. He entered Harvard in the fall of 1967, where he earned two degrees: a Juris Doctorate and a Master in Business Administration. But Ronald would be quick to tell you that the best thing he got out of Harvard was his wife of more than 50 years, Geraldine Reed.

It’s tempting to try to paint a picture of Ron’s life with his professional pursuits—his travels to New Zealand and Australia with the Motion Picture Association, his service as the executive director of the Sammy Davis Jr. National Liver Institute, his entrepreneurial ventures with the Reed-Brown Consulting Group, or his 20 years with the state of New Jersey.  But these activities wouldn’t quite capture the vibrancy of Ron’s heart. Perhaps more telling was Ron’s love for the creative arts. He was a huge movie buff. Name the movie and Ron could list the actors, quote obscure lines, and tell you about some cinematic detail he discovered in a book. His mind was a library and it was rare to see him without his next read under his arm. He also loved to garden and was known for welcoming new neighbors with a ripe zucchini or a plump tomato. And one of his greatest loves was going to Belmar Beach. He had fond childhood memories of weekend trips with his parents, sister, and cousins, and would often go as an adult to find his peace.

Throughout his life, Ron served his community in a variety of ways, including involvement with the Montclair Board of Education, Garden State Bar Association, Harvard Law School Association of New Jersey, Renaissance Jr. Golf, Omega Psi Phi Fraternity Inc., and St. Mark’s United Methodist Church.

Ron was an incredible storyteller, and we can only imagine the tales he is telling now during his heavenly reunion with his mother, father, and sister Mary. He leaves his wife Geraldine, son Michael, daughter Kimberly, son-in-law Sean (Sam and Hope), and a host of other family and friends to celebrate the stories of his life.

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