Marv Brown

From the dawn of time, people have asked if God has a sense of humor. Well, when he placed Marv Brown on this Earth he laughed and said, "Yep, I sure do." In February 2026, the light that was Marv lost its glow as he peacefully left this world to make his last journey to meet up with his family in heaven. Marv was smart beyond compare, generous to a fault, and the funniest person in any room that he entered, always being greeted with, "Marv!"

Marvin L. Brown, PhD, passed into the Lord's care on Wednesday, February 25, 2026. He was 68 years old.

The world became his stage as he told some of the most awful dad jokes, but he always received laughter for his efforts. He was a man of honor, love of his family and friends, and most of all, love of his Lord. He loved baseball and played on the varsity team at Mansfield (Ohio) Senior High School. He taught at Morehead State University in Kentucky, where he was also a baseball coach.

His favorite place to lay his head was in Hawaii, where he taught for five years. Unfortunately, along the way, cancer invaded his body, and he was sidelined for a while, returning to the states for treatment, never to return to his beloved Hawaii.

After a long hiatus from his teaching, he returned to teach at several different universities across the United States. He also worked very hard and eventually received his PhD, an accomplishment he was extremely proud of. He loved boxing and eventually found himself in the ring, where he traveled to fights at several different venues, making many high-powered friends. Deciding that getting beat up was not his thing, he started writing articles for boxing magazines, eventually ending up in the Boxing Hall of Fame for his literary genius.

Marv was a friend to everyone he met, never meeting a stranger. He will be greatly missed, but as he left us with love and laughter, our journey without him will be one of special memories of a very special guy.

Marv was born August 15, 1957, in Mansfield, Ohio, to the late Berlin and Edith Datkuliak Brown. He was a 1975 graduate of Mansfield Senior High School, and received his PhD from Cleveland State University, specializing in data mining. Marv was also a member of the Delta Sigma Pi business fraternity.

He enjoyed an inspiring higher education career as a teaching professor at East Carolina University in Greenville, North Carolina; at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock; at Hawaii Pacific University in Honolulu; and at John Carroll University in Cleveland, Ohio. His teaching interests included database design, business analytics, and systems development. He also contributed to research regarding data mining and big data.

Marv was a lifelong learner with hobbies and interests in boxing, motorcycling, and trivia. He was an enthusiastic Cleveland Indians baseball fan and an Ohio State and Cleveland Browns football fan. He regularly attended games with the Greenville NC Browns Backers chapter.

The youngest of six brothers, he was closest to his brother Ralph. Where you saw one, you saw the other. He was known affectionately in the neighborhood and teased as "Ralph Brown's little brother." Family and friends will miss his daily sharing of jokes, anecdotes, and anything he found amusing.

He was preceded in death by his parents; brothers Robert B. Brown, Cecil D. Brown, Harold E. Brown, and Ralph W. Brown; and nephew Tommy Brown.

Marv is survived by his brother John (Diane) Brown, sister Clare (Kurt) Knebusch, sister-in-law Jan Brown, and many nieces and nephews, whom he dearly loved.

Marvin's family would like to acknowledge and thank John, Novine, Cody, Edge, and Suz; his many ECU and Greenville, North Carolina, friends; and his many friends abroad for their friendship, kindness, and generosity during his time of need. We do appreciate you.

A celebration of life will be announced later in the spring.