JOSEPH BROWNING

BROWNING, Joseph Lyle
January 23, 1923 - January 30, 2013
After surviving many courageous battles, J. Lyle Browning passed away peacefully. Son of the late Joseph Browning and Gladys Richardson Browning, he had 2 sons with his beloved wife, the late Geraldine Browning - Joseph Jr., deceased, and Bruce. Lyle grew up in a family of six siblings who have all predeceased him: Ernest Browning Sr. (Agnes), children the late Sharon Freeman (John), Ernest Jr. and the late Lowell (Gloria); the late Velma Vincent Sydnor (John); the late Lorraine Goldsby (Charles); the Late Dolores Henderson (Roland), and children Holly (Colin Sahadath) and Heather; the Late Mitchell Browning (Laurie), and children Noelle Pennefather (Scott), J. Michael (Ing Lim), and Joseph (Michelle). He will also be greatly missed by nieces and nephews. Lyle was a successful businessman with an extensive resume including ownership of Browning Engineering and Manufacturing Company. He was also very active in community events and politics. In 1943 he started a long association with the Liberal Party by working with the late Charles Clarke and the Hon. Paul Martin, Sr. to establish the first Young Liberals Club and served as its first president. He later served as secretary of the Ontario Liberal Association in 1945 and secretary of the Young Liberal Federation of Canada in 1948. While his bids for election at the provincial and municipal levels did not prove successful, he remained a political and community activist throughout his life. The true embodiment of voluntarism, Lyle served on numerous organizations and committees including the Board of Governors of St. Clair College, the Society of Manufacturing Engineers, where he was a Senior Life Member, the Board of the Junior Achievement Association of Windsor, and the Windsor and District Chamber of Commerce, to name just a few. As a long-time and former president of the Windsor Downtown Lions Club, he played a lead role in establishing the Lions Manor on Riverside Drive East in 1979. Lyle was secretary and vice president of the Central Citizens' Association of Windsor, which paved the way for many of the African Canadian social action groups that exist in Windsor today. He has been the recipient of numerous awards and honours including the Melvin Jones and Helen Keller Fellowships, the two highest International Lions Awards. Lyle was chosen as the 2005 Black Community Leadership Award recipient to honour his service to the Black community of Windsor and Essex County. He played a key role in the establishment of the North American Black Historical Museum and Cultural Centre in Amherstburg. Lyle was also a member of the Underground Railroad Monument Committee of Windsor and the Essex County Black Historical Research Society. Most importantly, throughout the years, he has been an outstanding example of leadership both within and beyond the Black community whose presence will be greatly missed. Visitation will take place at the
Victoria Greenlawn Memorial Chapel and Reception Centre,
1525 Hwy 3 (1km west of Walker Road),
519-969-3939
on Friday, February 1, 2013 from 2-4 and 7-9 p.m. Funeral service will be held in our chapel on Saturday, February 2, 2013 at 10:00 a.m. Interment to follow at Greenlawn Memorial Gardens. In lieu of flowers, donations to the North American Black Historical Museum () would be greatly appreciated. Online condolences may be left at www.msuttonfuneral.ca