Joachim Joseph Brown

1948 - 2023

Joachim Joseph ("Jock") Brown
Born: December 19, 1948 in Chicago, IL
Died: July 18, 2023 in LaGrange
Joachim Joseph ("Jock") Brown, 74, died July 18, 2023, at his home in LaGrange, Illinois, after a long illness, with his beloved wife of 53 years, Patricia ("Patsy") (née Powell), at his side. He was the devoted father of Kathleen "Katie" Brown-Heinecken (Kim), Maura Brown (Keith Baich), Colleen Vrba (Geoffrey), and Timothy, and loving grandfather of Evelyn Ruth Vrba, Edward Aloysius Vrba, and Ulrich Joachim Heinecken. He was the son of the late Thomas II and Helen Sauer Brown, also of LaGrange, and brother to Helen Anne Neustadt (the late David), the late Thomas Brown III (Gail), Christine "Kitsy" Mahoney (Jack), Kathleen Whitman (Richard), Elizabeth "Beth" Brown, Timothy Brown, Martin Brown (Geri), and John Fitzgerald Kennedy Brown (Mary Jo). He was a treasured in-law to the Powell family, and uncle to many adoring nephews, nieces, great-nephews, and great-nieces. To all who knew him, Jock was a strong and powerful presence, full of wisdom and wit. He graduated from Loyola University of Chicago with a Bachelor's degree in 1970 and earned his Juris Doctorate cum laude from DePaul College of Law in 1974, where he was a proud student of the evening division. While in law school, Jock was granted two American Jurisprudence Awards for academic excellence, one in Equity and the other in Estates and Trusts, as well as the Corpus Juris Secundum Award. After receiving his law degree, he earned the Illinois State Bar Association Lincoln Award for excellence in writing. While practicing law, he published two academic articles, one in Evidence in Will Contests in an issue of the Loyola Law Journal, and the other on the topic of Defective Notice of Sale of Collateral under the Uniform Commercial Code, in the Chicago Bar Record. He was a member of many boards and civic and charitable organizations in La Grange and Ottawa, Illinois. After serving in the Illinois Attorney General's Office, Jock worked in the Trust Department at the First National Bank of La Grange, where he was named President in 1985. He was elected President, CEO, and Chairman of the Board of the First National Bank of Ottawa (Illinois) in 1999, where he worked until his retirement in 2015. Jock was very proud of his service on the Economic Development Committee in La Grange as well as his work in Community Reinvestment through the First National Bank of LaGrange. Once retired, he served on the Board of Directors at FNBC Bank and Trust (formerly First National Bank of LaGrange) until his death. In addition to his many achievements, Jock was an avid photographer, chef, traveler, birdwatcher, cinephile, classical music lover, and Helen Mirren enthusiast. It was a source of great personal pride that he made sure that his wife, Patsy, was able to see every Jan Vermeer painting available to the public during their travels. He will be remembered and celebrated at Hallowell & James Funeral Home, 1025 W. 55th St., Countryside, Illinois, Monday, July 24, from 3pm to 9pm, and laid to rest with a funeral mass at St. Francis Xavier Church, 124 N. Spring Ave., LaGrange, Tuesday, July 25, at 11am. Mass attendees should access parking from Waiola Avenue. Memorials can be sent to the "We Thrive" school fund or to the All School Service Program at St. Francis Xavier School (145 N. Waiola Avenue, La Grange, IL 60525). Saint Joachim was the maternal grandfather to Jesus of Nazareth, according to the Gospel of James. The namesake is befitting of a man who treasured his role as a grandfather more than anything else in his long, accomplished life. Service Info: 708-352-6500 or HJFunerals.com