John Wilson Brown

1936 - 2020

John Wilson Brown
December 18, 1936 - September 15, 2020
La Jolla
John Wilson Brown passed away unexpectedly on September 15 in La Jolla. He is survived by Barbara Brown, his wife of 61 years, his daughters Alison Brown of Nashville, TN, and Meredith Brown of San Diego, and his grandchildren Hannah Brown West and Brendan Brown West of Nashville, TN. John was born December 18, 1936, the only child of Elizabeth and John Brown Sr. He grew up in Port Chester, NY, where he met his soul mate Barbara Fletcher at the tender age of 14. The two shared a love of music (John as a trumpet player and Barbara as a vocalist) and, while still in high school, they were paired to perform a duet for the Ted Mack Original Amateur Hour. John received his undergraduate degree from Brown University and his law degree from the University of Connecticut School of Law. He began his legal practice in Greenwich, CT, specializing in trusts and estate planning.Serendipitously, John made several work related trips to San Diego in the early 1970s. He was fond of remembering the moment in La Jolla one winter afternoon when, surrounded by flowers and birdsong, he realized his future lay in California. The family relocated to La Jolla in 1974 and John established the estate planning division of Jenkins & Perry. He was later a founding member of the firm Brown, MacDonald & Ravin.John played significant leadership roles in many local professional, arts and charitable organizations over the years. He served as Chair of the Estate Planning Trust & Probate Section of the San Diego County Bar Association and The La Jolla Probate Section. John was a long time member and past president of The Rotary Club of La Jolla and also served on the boards of The San Diego Symphony, The Atheneum Music & Arts Library, The San Diego Brown Club and New Entra Casa.A staunch advocate for female empowerment, John was Barbara's most dedicated champion and encouraged her to make the transition from homemaker to Federal Prosecutor in the 1970s. The two ultimately combined their practices and formed the firm of Brown and Brown in 1988. Their daughter Meredith joined the firm in 1991. John continued to practice with Brown and Brown until his death.

John will be forever remembered by family and friends for his kindness, generosity and tremendous appetite for life. John was passionate about music especially symphonic works and mid-century jazz and delighted in travel and the pleasures of the table, parlaying his knowledge of "restaurant French" into many memorable meals during frequent family trips to France. A celebration of life will be organized in the future when it is safer for people to gather. In the meantime, the family requests friends to consider a tribute gift in his memory to "The Brown Fund" at https://bbis.advancement.brown.edu/bbphenix/give-now. Please sign the guest book online at legacy.com/obituaries/ lajollalight