1/7/1931 -7/13/2024 and 9/29/1936 -11/20/2024

Rialto, CA

John H. Brown and Sheila L. Brown of Rialto, California, a husband and wife duo with a crackling wit and the parents of two loving children, passed away last year. John died on July 13, 2024 at the age of 92, and Sheila at the age of 88 on November 20, 2024, the day before what would’ve been their 71st anniversary. They will be deeply missed.

Both John and Sheila were natives of Niagara Falls, New York. Born to parents John and Roberta Brown at the nadir of The Great Depression on October 7, 1931, John was ashy but sharp child and the oldest of three kids. As soon as he was old enough, he tried to enlist in the Navy, but a spot of tuberculosis on his lungs disqualified him and had him sent to a sanatorium instead.

Sheila was born to parents Edward and Edith (Parslow) Powell on September 29, 1936. The middle of three children, she was an outgoing and bright girl with a warm and industrious spirit. Her work ethic was evident from the start -Sheila would often seek out babysitting jobs and dutifully save her earnings.

In the late 1940s, before John was sent to the sanatorium, he and Sheila met through a mutual connection. Though John was shy and at times childlike, Sheila was smitten.

She put in the legwork to keep their courtship alive through his time convalescing, using her saved up babysitting money to regularly take the long bus ride to go see him.

That diligence carried on for the whole two years John battled in recovery. But it paid off They were married on November 21, 1953, taking their vows against the backdrop of the Niagara Falls.

The newlyweds spent their first few years in their hometown and soon welcomed their first child, their son John Edward Brown, in 1954. Both John and Sheila worked at Bell Aircraft during these years. And though life in Niagara Falls was sweet, the yearly harsh winters had the family constantly yearning for warmer weather. The Browns resolved to move, and so they set out west in the late 1950s, toward warmth and opportunity.

Soon after, their daughter Laura was born.

The Browns eventually settled in Rialto, CA, where they’d stay the rest of their lives, in the mid 1960s. In California, John started his new career as a psychiatric technician and unit shift charge at Patton State Hospital in San Bernardino. There, he demonstrated a profound work ethic, always thinking ahead and anticipating potential problems on the unit. The work was far from easy, but it was well-suited to John’s analytical mind.

Soon after moving to California, Sheila found herself working at a new job that would set her on a remarkable 35-year career path. She began working as a secretary at the KRON radio station. From there, she got ajob at KMEN working the ad schedules and tediously figuring out the kinks in the timeslots. But her talent was immediately apparent to her managers and mentors, who all encouraged her to go into sales. Sheila was fantastic at it, and her outgoing personability was just right for the job. She transferred to the KCKC and KBON radio stations in the 1980s, continuing her work in sales. There, she soon became the regional sales manager and then the general manager of both stations -she was the first ever female general manager of two radio stations in southern California.

In many ways, John and Sheila were complete opposites. Where Sheila was vivacious and outgoing, John was reserved. John often worked night shifts while Sheila worked days. They were both fiercely independent and strong-willed individuals who respected those qualities in each other. They were opposites, but complete equals.

John and Sheila are remembered by their kids as sharp- tongued, witty, and energetic parents. The pair were not afraid to go toe-to-toe with each other. They’d often spar, verbally, and over politics, which could get heated -sometimes to the discomfort of on-lookers - but they liked it. It was invigorating to them, a moment of stimulation and fun. They’d do this so often that the two were once nicknamed “The Battling Browns.”

The Browns carried their energy through all their passions in life. John was an avid fisherman, and the pair loved their fishing trips to Florida, where they’d meet up with their great friends, the Garveys. John was also a passionate champion for the rights of dogs, especially the breeds he thought were especially and unfairly misunderstood, like pitbull terriers. The problem is the people and how they treat the dog, he would always say.

Over the years, Sheila grew to become quite prominent in the world of California radio, and the adjacent philanthropic communities. For decades, she was a long-standing member of groups such as Soroptimist International (which she was a past president for), the National Association of Broadcasters, and the American Business Women’s Association, organizations with which she would work to raise money for scholarships for women and other charitable ventures.

John and Sheila both retired in the 1990s. Their retirement was filled with travels, especially to Europe and Florida, where they loved to go on cruises and try out various cuisines, wines, and beers. Even in older age, they were fueled by a sense of energy and adventure. When their kids began having kids, the pair easily slipped into the role of grandparents. Sheila in particular had an incredibly close connection with and love for her grandchildren.

Their loved ones will remember John and Sheila most for the couple’s quick wit - which was a gift to all who knew them -and their endless support for each other and their loved ones. Sheila will be missed for her vivacious and glowing presence, and John for his reliability and outside-of-the-box thinking.

John and Sheila are predeceased by John’s parents, John M. and Roberta Brown; his brother, Robert F. Brown; Sheila’s parents, Edward and Edith Powell; and her sister, Edwina Schroeder. They are survived by their children, John Edward Brown and Laura Morgan; grandchildren Marlana Serles and Drew Morgan; great grandson Luke Morgan; John’s sister, Ruthann Sertick; and Sheila’s brother, Gary Powell.

A small ceremony was held privately in celebration of John and Sheila’s lives.