John Willoughby BROWN

BROWN - John Willoughby
Captain John Willoughby Brown, USN, Retired, passed away peacefully at home in Hanover, NH on April 23, 2022. John and his wife of 52 years, Betty (Butzer) Brown, were married on July 11, 1953 at Westminster Presbyterian Church in Buffalo. Betty preceded him in death. John was born June 1, 1924 in Buffalo, son of Harry Lee Brown and Hazel (Robinson) Brown. He spent his early years in Buffalo and Port-au-Prince, Haiti, where his father, a Naval officer and surgeon, was posted. After moving back to Buffalo, John attended PS 52, the Franklin School, and Nichols School. His father returned to active duty during World War II, and the family moved to Commander Brown's postings in Baltimore, MD and Charleston, WV. John had a keen interest in aviation since his early childhood, and earned his pilot's license at age 16. After graduating from Charleston High School, in 1943 John joined the US Navy and was commissioned as an Ensign. He earned his Wings of Gold at Naval Air Station Pensacola, and as a carrier pilot fought in the Pacific theater during World War II. He was an F6F Hellcat fighter pilot in the Great Marianas Turkey Shoot in 1944 during the Battle of the Philippine Sea. Following the war, John attended Williams College, and then returned to active duty in the Navy. He graduated from the Naval War College and from the George Washington University. During his 26-year career in the Navy, "Honest John" was a fighter pilot flying supersonic carrier-based jets, a flight instructor and a test pilot, and trained at the US Navy Strike Fighter Tactics Instructor Program (TOPGUN). He served as a squadron leader and commanding officer aboard US Navy attack carriers. His assignments included the Sixth Fleet in the Mediterranean during the Cold War, and the Office of Chief of Naval Operations at the Pentagon. John retired at the rank of Captain in 1968. He and Betty moved with their four daughters to Buffalo to be near family, and John served as an executive at Kittinger Furniture Company. John and Betty moved to Hanover, NH in 1977. He was devoted to Betty and his daughters. He was admired for his intelligence, humility and punctuality, and was adored for his quick wit and clever, off-the-cuff puns. He loved travel, airplanes, automobiles, woodworking, mechanics and electronics, and was an early adopter of home computers and the internet. John is survived by his daughters, Margaret Brown Shiverick of Naples, FL, Susan Coe Brown of Silver City, NM, Carolyn Brown Wick (William) of Seabrook Island, SC, and Otie Filkorn (Erik) of Richmond, VT; seven grandchildren; and five great-grandchildren. He will be interred at Arlington National Cemetery with full military honors, alongside his beloved wife Betty.