Frank R. Brown

Frank Raymond Brown was born on September 12, 1927, the youngest of thirteen children born to Robert Brown and Roselle Nash Brown. He was born on the Bruno McCabe Farm on Sound Avenue in Riverhead and attended the Riverhead Central School System where as a youth he played softball and ran track. Frank lost his father when he was twelve years of age and thus as a youth he held a series of jobs to help support his family. He graded and loaded potatoes on the John Mazella Farm, unloaded feed grain from freight cars on the Hollis Warner Duck Farm, cleaned bags for the Seagal Bag Company and served as a bellhop at the Henry Perkins Hotel. He worked at Long Island Produce, later Agway, for forty five (45) years. At LIP/Agway he held many positions over the years: Machine Operator, Truck Driver- Deliveryman, Explosives Technician, Assistant Foreman and Employee Representative. For a number of years he earned extra income providing janitorial services to the Riverhead Police Department. In his spare time, in season, he worked on the Richard Reeve farm. Upon retirement from Agway he developed his skill for landscaping into a full-time seasonal occupation.
Frank joined the first Baptist Church of Riverhead at an early age. He sang on the first junior choir. For 63 years he served as an usher, beginning as a junior usher and retiring as Marshall in the Eastern Baptist Association. He served as the Janitor and grounds keeper for twenty-four (24) years at The First Baptist Church.
In 1948 Frank married Dorothy Edley who he met at First Baptist Church. Three daughters, Shirley Diane, Deborah and Joan resulted from their union. Frank was a temperature and industrious man, committed to his work and most of all to his family. He is predeceased by his wife, Dorothy, his brothers Isiah, Robert, Cainie, Harvey, Joseph and Wesley and his sisters Virginia, Rosa, Mary, Lucille, Priscilla and Gracie.
He leaves to cherish; three daughters, Shirley Diane Brown and Joan Brown-Smith (Baltimore, MD) and Deborah Dorothy Brown (Riverhead, NY); two sister in laws, Mary Robinson(Eugene) (Riverhead, NY) and Evelyn Edley (Gogchland, Virginia); one brother in law, John Fox (Penfield, NY); two grandsons, Raymond Jackson (Tibithia) (Summerville, NC) and Jason T. Jackson (New York, NY); great-grandchildren, Nytaea Gholson, Brandon and Kiasia Jackson and a host of nieces, nephews, relatives and friends.