Dick Wilkinson Brown, age 84, died Friday, June 10, 2022, at his home in Charleston.

Dick was born July 18, 1937, in Charleston, MO, the youngest son of E. Riley Brown, Sr. and Judith Wilkinson Brown.  Dick graduated in 1955 from Charleston High School and on September 9, 1956, he and the love of his life, Karen Ellis, eloped and would marry and spend the next 64 years together.  They made it to the state of Mississippi and found the home of a Methodist minister.  He invited them into the house where he performed their wedding with the minister's family serving as their witnesses. On the way home, the car broke down and they had to call "Uncle Jack" to come and help them.  After that, the secret was out, and everyone knew they were married.

Dick went to college at Washington University in St. Louis where he graduated in 1959 with a degree in business.  He then accepted a position with the Sears and Roebuck Company and remained with them for 34 years. His position with Sears sent him to several locations in Indiana and Illinois, one of those being Lafayette, IN.  Karen started working at Purdue University and it was at that time they became tried and true Purdue Fans.

Dick Brown was a true family man. Never one to spend time away from his family. Several times throughout his career with Sears, he was invited after work for cocktails with his employers and supervisors who might have been the ones to give him a promotion. However, Dick would always decline, saying "I just want to go home and be with my family!"  Declining those offers never hurt his career.  In 1984, while serving as the manager of the Dekalb, IL store, his store was awarded "Best Customer Service" in the nation.  In 1990, he retired from Sears and he and Karen returned to Charleston.  Charleston would receive that same excellent customer service as Dick accepted a position at Citizens Bank of Charleston and remained there until his retirement in 2005.

Next to family and faith, there was a love of sports.  He always spoke highly of his 1953 Charleston High School Football Team that finished 3rd in state rankings. In the 1970's, Dick and Karen fell in love with golf. His golf game did not always go as planned.  On many occasions his golf ball would hit parked cars (the Golf Pro's Car in one incident), or sometimes even actual family members.  On one particular day he was playing with Karen and their son Chris. As he hit from the tee, the golf ball hit the golf cart, bounced off it and hit Chris, then bounced off Chris and hit Karen.  They were in fact standing behind him.  Often when the family arrived it could be heard, "Dick Brown is on the course, please move your cars to safety!"  Dick was always proud of his sons and their sports activities. Whether it was Kevin or Dee in football, or Chris in basketball, he never missed a game.

Purdue University football and basketball were a huge part of Dick and Karen's life. Beginning in the late  1960's they would attend many games. Of course, being Purdue, there were more losses than wins. But that didn't matter, as long as he was there cheering his team from way up in the top bleachers with Karen by his side. In 1980, when Purdue played Missouri in the Liberty Bowl, he never swayed from his love for his team. In 1978, while at the Peach Bowl in Atlanta, Dick happened to get in the elevator with the head coach and starting quarterback.  Being somewhat nervous, instead of saying "good game!", he asked, "so what do you think your stats were?" Of course, Karen was with him, and she just rolled her eyes.  In 2006, as his daughter in law Robyn came into the family, Dick was planning a trip to a Purdue game in Illinois the next fall.  She wanted to see what all the love of Purdue was about but knew nothing about football, let alone Purdue. So, Chris coached her.  A few days later, she came over for dinner at Dick and Karen's and started a conversation about star Purdue player, Leroy Keyes, and how amazing he was.  She was in!

Along with Karen, Dick had a great love for animals as the family witnessed with many pets.

Dick was a humorous man. Even though most of his jokes were not very funny. He truly loved them and sometimes would be the only one laughing.  Often after getting up from the table in a restaurant, he would stand up  and loudly exclaim "this is the first time I have ever been kicked out of a restaurant!", to the extreme embarrassment of the entire family. He just loved making people laugh. This was just his type of humor, and everyone loved that about him.

To his family, Dick was a very humble man.  In high school though he was senior class president. We were told he made sure the entire class would know his position. Karen though, at the time, didn't think he was all that. He had to work for her!

Two of the most challenging times in Dick's life were the loss of his son Kevin and his loving wife, Karen.  During those times he sustained by his quiet but deep faith in God.

Dick is survived by his two sons, Chris (Robyn) Brown and Dick W. "Dee" Brown, II, both of Charleston; his older sister, Becky Brown Foley of Los Angeles, CA; also, several nieces and nephews and cousins.

He was preceded in death by his wife, Karen Ellis Brown; his son, Kevin Ellis Brown; and three brothers, E. Riley Brown, Jr., John Brown and Ferdinand Jackson Brown.

Private family services will be held at the First Baptist Church in Charleston. Rev. Gerald Collier will officiate.

Interment will follow in the I.O.O.F. Cemetery near Charleston under the direction of the McMikle Funeral Home.

Online condolences may be shared at www.mcmiklefuneralhome.com.