William (Bill) C. Brown, loving husband of Sharon Brown, passed from this life to be with God on November 22, 2017 at 1500 hours. Bill was born on December 21, 1940 in Henryetta, OK to Cecil and Tommie Brown and married to Sharon (Payne) Brown for 56 years.
Bill exemplified his life with dedication to his God, his country, and his family. Always loving, kind, fair, generous with his time, and a hard worker. Most importantly, he was a strong Christian and it showed in his daily life, as he put others first. Growing up in the small town of Henryetta, Oklahoma was a great source of pride for him.
Bill had a great work ethic and desire to continue his education after graduating from Will Rogers High School in Tulsa, OK. He completed his BS in Zoology, a MS in General Science and a MBA at Oklahoma State University. His military education of many courses included Command and General Staff College.
While a student at OSU he and Sharon met, were married and graduated together. As a newly commissioned Second Lieutenant in the U.S. Army their life of travel began. His service in the Transportation Corps brought many assignments stateside as well as in England, Germany, Turkiye, Vietnam, and Korea. His exemplary military service from 1962-1983 was rewarded by the following awards: Bronze Star Medal (Oak Leaf Cluster), Meritorious Service Medal (Oak Leaf Cluster), Joint Service Commendation, Army Commendation Medal (Oak Leaf Cluster), National Defense Service Medal, Army Service Ribbon, Overseas Service Ribbon (II), Vietnam Service Medal-4 Bronze Star, Republic of Vietnam Commendation (Oak Leaf Cluster), Vietnamese Cross of Gallantry W Palm (Unit), and Republic of Vietnam Civil Actions Honor Medal (First Class). As an OSU Alumni and an avid fan of the Cowboys his next PCS assignment after serving his first year in Vietnam was to return to OSU as Assistant Professor of Military Science and Director of Instruction for the ROTC program, which was a highlight of his military career. He also served as the coach for the OSU Rifle Team.
Upon military retirement Bill pursued another career in Accounting. He joined the Central Texas College staff and served as a Business Manager, a teacher of Accounting, and an Auditor for state and international campuses. He went on to use his accounting background as Chief Services Officer at the Texas Department of Health in Austin, Texas. As Bill was an avid lover of wildlife, he also spent one year as Assistant Manager at Fountain Grove Wildlife Area near Brookfield, Missouri.
In the year 2000 when Bill and Sharon retired, it was evident that the time had come to return to Stillwater and their beloved Oklahoma State University. They were then able to dedicate their lives to OSU, church, and community. Bills peaks of enjoyment while serving others included mission trips to Mexico, as the Business Manager at Elite Repeat and the Manager of the Storehouse at First United Methodist Church, as a member of the OSU Emeriti Association, OSU Alumni Association and Methodist Men. He was also an Eagle Scout and served as a District Officer for the Exchange Club.
Bill is survived by his wife, Sharon (Stillwater); daughters, Dana Mallett (Don) of Maumelle, AR and Tammi Pitts (Robert) of Wilmington, NC; son, Danny Brown of Austin, TX; granddaughters, Kayla LaCasse (Chris) of Conway AR and Ashley Pitts of Wilmington, NC; grandson, Kyle Ostrowski of Maumelle, AR; great-grandsons Jackson LaCasse and Oliver LaCasse of Conway, AR; sister, Bobbye Amos (L.B.) of Inola, OK and Patricia Sharp (Jim) of Broken Arrow, OK; brother, Richard Brown of Tulsa, OK; sisters-in-law, Sandy Winfrey (Gary) of Frisco, TX and Barbara Randolph (Ed) of Lakeview, AR; brothers-in-law, Mike Payne of Hugo, OK and Pat Payne (Judy) of Valiant, OK; and many loving nieces and nephews.
Bill was preceded in death by his father, Cecil Brown of Henryetta, OK; mother, Tommie Campbell of Tulsa, OK; and precious granddaughter, Sonya Patterson, wife of Brant Patterson, of Oklahoma City, OK.
Bill’s life is to be celebrated at the First United Methodist Church, 400 W. 7th Street, in Stillwater, OK on Friday, December 1st at 10:00 a.m. under the direction of Strode Funeral Home. In Lieu of flowers, monetary donations may be given to the First United Methodist Church designated for “Our Daily Bread.”
Condolences may be emailed to the family and an online obituary may be viewed by visiting www.strodefh.com .

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