Hugh Anthony Brown

Hugh Anthony Brown, 59, departed this life May 8, 2016 at his home in Dayton, Tennessee where he
had lived since 2012. He resided in his family's home in Spring City, Tennessee for the first fifty-five
years of his life.

Hugh, the youngest of the nine children of Edgar and Alma Brown, was born in Harriman, Tennessee on January 26, 1957. At that time his parents already had a five year old grandson, Bruce T. Brown, who just could not understand that a baby could be his uncle. As they grew older, the uncle/nephew roles reversed with Bruce serving as the mentor. Hugh truly revered him and always looked forward to Bruce's visits from Washington, D.C. When he chose to study at the Knoxville campus of the University of Tennessee, Hugh was ecstatic.

Hugh was a rabid fan of the University of Tennessee Vols and proudly wore orange and white every Saturday that they took the field. He could quote the stats of virtually all of the key players each year. One of the highlights of his life was when Bruce journeyed to Tennessee and took him to Neyland Stadium to see a Vols game.

In addition to football, Hugh loved little league baseball. For years he was an umpire for Rhea County area little league teams. He took this job very seriously, and his family remembers amusingly his crouching in front of the television set practicing his “umpiring moves and inflections” during televised major league baseball games.

However, Hugh's greatest passion was his Christian service to the Spring City Church of Christ where he served as song leader for more than twenty years. He dearly loved the church and its members, and, unless sidelined by his illness or a tragedy in his family, he was not absent from any Wednesday or Sunday worship service. In fact, his devotion and loyalty to the Spring City Church of Christ dwarfed that of postmen who let “neither rain, sleet, snow, nor dead of night keep them from their appointed rounds.”

Hugh was preceded in death by his parents, Edgar and Alma Brown; two brothers, Theodore and Otis Brown; and one sister, Ida Pearl Brown.

He leaves to cherish his memories three brothers: Edgar (Maria) Brown Jr. of Forrestville, MD; James (Serlina) Brown of Indianapolis, IN; Thomas (Sandra) Brown of Riverside, CA; two sisters: Ernestine Ferrell of Atlanta, GA and Martha C. Jones of Maryville, TN; one sister-in-law: Sadie M. Brown of Washington, D.C.; six nieces, five nephews, seven great nieces, six great nephews, four great great nieces, two great great nephews, one aunt, and a myriad of cousins; very devoted friends: Lonnie (Laura) Morris, Mike Meadows, Russell West (cousin), Pat Kirkland, Lisa Norris, Bardell (Bo) Smith, and all of the congregants of the Spring City Church of Christ.

The family expresses great love and appreciation for all the prayers, visits, and other manifestations of concern during Hugh's illness.

In lieu of flowers the family requests donations to the Spring City Church of Christ in Hugh's memory.

A memorial service will be held at the Church of Christ in Spring City, Tennessee on Friday, May 13, 2016 at 2:00 P.M.
You are encouraged to share a memory of Hugh and/or your personal condolences with his family by visiting his memorial web page and guestbook at www.companionfunerals.com.
Companion Funeral Home and the Cody family are honored to assist the Brown family with his arrangements.