Stanley F. Brown, 81, beloved husband of Janet Brown, died Wednesday, November 4, 2009 in the Kaplan Family Hospice House following a short battle with cancer. He was the devoted father of Laurie Benton, Lindsey Maihos, and Richard Brown, and step-father of Martha and Peter Cummings. He was predeceased by his wife of many years, Eleanor (Shinnick) Brown.
Born on Aug. 14, 1928, he was the son of the late Roland and Ida (Russell) Brown. A lifelong Danvers resident, he was a graduate of Holten High School, Class of 1946. He served honorably in the US Army, a veteran of WWII.
A well-respected local business man, Mr. Brown owned and operated Brown’s Kitchen and Bath on North Putnam Street in Danvers for 36 years. A master plumber, he also served as the town’s plumbing inspector for many years.
He was a Town Meeting Member for many years, and longtime chairman and member of the Danvers Recreation Committee. He also served on other town committees, most recently those that oversaw the renovation of the Holten-Richmond building and Danvers High School. He was a member of the Master Plumbers Assoc., the Danvers Touchdown Club, and a 38 year perfect attendance member of the Danvers Rotary Club.
Always supportive of youth sports, Stan was a founding member of the Danvers YMCA, where he served on the board of directors for many years. He was involved with Little League for 58 years, first as a founding coach with Danvers Little League, and then for the last 48 years as district administrator of District 15. The Little League fields at Plains Park are named in his honor and this year, for the first time, he saw one of his district teams—Peabody West—participate in the Little League World Series in Williamsport, PA.
An avid golfer, he was a member of Wenham Country Club and the Sandpiper Golf and Country Club in Lakeland, FL, where he wintered for over 20 years.
In addition to his wife, children, and step-children, he is survived by two sons-in-law, Nelson Benton of Peabody and Donald Maihos of Conway, NH; a daughter-in-law, Lisa Brown of Haverhill; 13 grandchildren, Todd Benton of AZ, Timothy Benton of Malden, Taryn, Amanda, and Tyler Brown of Boxford, Michelle Hernandez of NH, Kristen Charette of ME, Amy Maihos of IL, Emily Cullen of Amesbury, Leah Barnes of Danvers, Laura St. Pierre of Beverly, Lyndsay Lang of NH, and T.J. St. Pierre of Danvers; and one great-granddaughter, Eliana Benton of AZ. He was the brother of the late Grace Spofford.
His Funeral Service will be held on Monday, November 9, 2009 at 10AM in the Maple Street Congregational Church, 90 Maple St., Danvers. Relatives and friends are invited. Visiting hours are Sunday from 1-5PM in C.R. Lyons & Sons, Funeral Directors, 28 Elm St., Danvers Square. Burial will be private. In lieu of flowers, donations in Stan’s memory may be made to Hospice of the North Shore, 75 Sylvan St., Danvers, MA 01923 or the Danvers Community YMCA, 34 Pickering St., Danvers, MA 01923. www.LyonsFuneral.com.