Wesley Barnes Brown

Wesley Barnes Brown died January 28, 2026, at St. Dominic's Hospital after a long

battle with heart disease. He was 63 years old. Wes was born on May 17, 1962, to Lois

McWhorter Brown and Jasper Barnes Brown in Jackson, Mississippi. Wes grew up in

the Belhaven neighborhood and lived there as an adult for many years. He was a proud

native and life-long Jacksonian, as he attended Power Elementary, Bailey Jr. High

School, Murrah High School, and Millsaps College, where he graduated with a B.A. in

History, his favorite subject all his life. While in high school at Murrah, Wes was hired as

a typesetter for Bill Minor's Capital Reporter (where his mother was the bookkeeper)

and considered that a highlight of his high school career. At Millsaps he graduated with

an Excellent on his Oral Comps and to the day he died he would tell anyone who would

listen that was one of his proudest accomplishments. While working at the Mississippi

Economic Council in the mid-to-late 1980s he met Lisa Mooty Brown, where they

became friends and eventually married in 1992. Together they ran and later owned a

Legislative Reporting Service, Statewatch, for several years. After that, Wes began

working for the State of Mississippi and for the last 25 years has been with the

Mississippi Development Authority working in the IT Department, where he loved

helping users with their problems and issues when simply "rebooting," as he would say,

was not the issue.

Wes and Lisa enjoyed participating in local community events, including many years in

the St. Paddy's Day Parade with the "Rude Boys" (among whom Wes was a founding

member) and later the "Rude Men." They also enjoyed going to classic Jackson

restaurants. Scrooge's, CS's, and the Mayflower were among their favorites. Wes loved

everything about Mississippi, especially Jackson, where he was always an advocate,

even when things were not going well. He was a life-long fan of the New Orleans Saints

and the Ole Miss Rebels, and he savored this Rebels' season as they made the college

football playoffs. He was also a huge animal lover; he and Lisa showered much love on

many furry family members through the years.

Wes and Lisa joined Fondren Presbyterian Church in 1994 where they have been active

members since their very first day. The church and its vibrant congregation nourished

Wes' spiritual life and deepened his faith. He was serving as a member of the Session

at the time of his death.

Wes was preceded in death by his parents and is survived by his wife Lisa (and their

dog Dak), his big sister Braden Brown Hughes and her husband J. C. Hughes, sister-in-

law Brenda Dyson, sister-in-law and brother-in-law Lynda and David Richards, niece

Hannah Rose Richards and nephew Erik Richards. He is also survived by a tight-knit

group of childhood, high school, and Belhaven neighborhood friends (you know who

you are) who were family to him. Wes' smile, laugh, quirky sense of humor, and love for

his family, friends, and church will be missed terribly by all who loved him. A memorial

service will be held at Fondren Presbyterian Church on Tuesday, February 3, at 4:00

p.m. with visitation from 2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. Memorials may be made to Fondren

Presbyterian Church, 3220 Old Canton Road, Jackson, Mississippi 39216.