Michael James Brown
Master Sergeant Michael James Brown, 53, of Three Oaks, Michigan died as a result of a homicide in El Salvador Saturday, February 16, 2013.
Brownie was born April 8, 1959 in Michigan City, Indiana to Virgil and Ruby (Pivoney) Brown. He was raised in Lakeside and graduated from River Valley High School in 1977, playing football and running track all four years. He received his Associates Degree in Building Construction Technology from Ferris State University. He proudly served his country in the US Army Special Forces (Green Beret). Brownie served 14 years active duty and 14 years as a Guard and Reserve. During this time he visited 60 countries, built a school in a remote, hostile part of El Salvador and built infrastructure for Special Forces Camps in Central America. He used his knowledge of 4 languages to train foreign military forces. Brownie spent 18 months in Iraq / Qatar and 4 years in Afghanistan. He not only served his country, earning many awards of valor, he also served his community, neighbors, and friends. He served as Sergeant at Arms for Post 204 American Legion, Three Oaks, he was a member and officer of the Three Oaks Lions Club, he was a mentor for 4-H construction classes and helped to build Timbertown at Watkin’s Park. He was a carpenter, building homes as Brownies Construction Company. He was a member of St. Mary of the Assumption Church in Three Oaks. Brownie enjoyed playing volleyball, bowling, beanbag cornhole, playing poker, and riding his Harley. Gentle, tough, giving, he was a true hometown hero.
Survivors include his mother and step father, Ruby and George Reitz of Union Pier, Michigan, his brother Barry E. Brown of South Bend, Indiana step brother Rick Reitz of Three Oaks, nephew Matthew (Alisha) Reitz, niece Erica (Chad) Clark, aunts Vernieta Kurina and Claudia Ostrowski, uncle Miles Becvar, aunts, Karen Pivoney, Diana Pivoney, Charlene Pivoney and Jeanne Pivoney, uncles, Charles Pivoney, Steve (Carol) Pivoney and Craig Pivoney, along with numerous, cousins and friends who all were so special to him. He was preceded in death by his father, Virgil Brown, grandparents, Ralph and Bella Brown, Charles and Noba Pivoney and step sister Julie Reitz Dimuro.
Celebration of Life services will be held at 2:00 pm Sunday, March 10, 2013 at Pobocik Funeral Home in Three Oaks with Mr. Garry Lange as celebrant. Interment will follow at Lakeside Cemetery with military honors presented by the Randall Couchman American Legion Post 204 and the US Army Honor Detail. Visitation will be held 10:00 am – 8:00 pm on Friday March 8 with a Scripture service with Father Donald Suberlak, CR at 7 pm Friday at the funeral home. Visitation will also be held from 10 am – 8:00 pm on Saturday March 9 and 10 am – 2:00 pm on Sunday at the funeral home.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be given to the Michael J. Brown Memorial Fund in care of Chemical Bank, 11 East Linden Street, Three Oaks, Michigan 49128. Funds will be used for causes Mike would find worthy.
To leave a tribute online please visit www.pobocik.com.
Print Obituary & Condolences
To Brownie’s parents. we are so sorry to hear about this. We just saw him in Nelson’s and now we cannot believe this. I hope they get whoever did this. God be with you.
Love,
Dianne and Bill
We were so upset to hear about Brownie. Our sympathy to the family. He was a wonderful neighbor and we have many fond memories of the good times we all shared.
Ruby, Barry, George and family my deepest and sincere sympathy.
oh my God, say it isn’t so, Cookie was a very good and helpful human being, back in the days we sure had some fun and crazy times,my thoughts and prayers go out to his mother Ruby,and the rest of the family.I hope this all gets resolved in all the right ways.I’m so sorry to hear this
Brownie was a fantastic human being, now and forever! He will always be loved and forever missed. We thank him for his service to our country! Love now and forever! RIP Brownie!
Dear Ruby, Barry and George. We are so very sorry to hear of this. Our thoughts and prayers are with you.
I am so dearly sorry for such a loss. My heart breaks for all of Mikes family. I went to school with Mike, with only good memories. May God put his loving arms around you and give you his peace. You are in my prayers.
My deepest sympathy to Mike’s family. May God give you Peace and comfort.
RIP Brownie…
Our thoughts and prayers are with you during this very difficult time. Brownie will be missed!
To Mike’s family:we are so very sorry for your loss and you are in our thoughts and prayers during this time. We met Brownie through good friends and shared some great times. We will always remember his warm smile, his great compassion for people and his positive outlook on everything. We are forever grateful for his service to this country and his community. Brownie will be missed by many and will never be forgotten. We will always love you Brownie! May God rest your soul.
I was in total shock when I heard about Brownie a few days ago , still in shock . Offering my condolences to Ruby , Barry , George , and the entire Brown family . Brownie and I always talked and chatted a bit whenever our paths crossed here in Three Oaks , totally an amazing guy in every respect . Thank you Brownie for all the brave years you served in the military , you left us way to soon bud . We will all miss you here in Three Oaks , but you will always be remembered .
What a terrible loss for the Brown family and the community of Three Oaks. Mike never knew a stranger. Even though I didn’t know him well he always spoke when I saw him. Thank you Mike for your years of service to our country and community. RIP you will be missed.
Dearest Ruby, George, Barry and family. My deepest sympathy goes out to you during this awful time. I can’t believe this is true. He was a great guy who I shared alot of good times with and will cherish those forever. Your in my thoughts and prayers during this time. He will be missed. Hugs too you all.
Ruby and family, Our sincere sympathy goes out to all of you! This is probably one of the hardest goodbyes ever. There are no words to say that can express what we and most of the residents of Three Oaks are feeling! Brownie’s infectious smile will be missed so very much. I hope he realized how proud we all were of him and thankful for his many years of service to this country and our little community!
Love and blessings to Brownie’s family and friends. Such a tragic loss of an extraordinary human being, beloved by all who knew him. May you rest in peace, Brownie, and may justice be served…
Our prayers and thoughts are with Brownie’s family. He was a fantastic person, dedicated to family, friends and his country. He will be truly missed.
Dear Aunt Ruby, Barry and George: Our hearts are broken with the news of Michael. He was such a wonderful and caring human being. His bright personality shown brightly from the time he was born and through his adult life. Our lives have lost a shining star full of creativity, imagination, spirit and most of all love. We love you and hold you tight during this horrible time.
Ruby, George, and Barry- We were so very sorry to hear the news about Mike’s death. We send our sincere sympathy and prayers to you. Myra and Beryl
I am in total shock of this. My deepest condolences to the family. Brownie, what an amazing person, friend and human being. He will be truly missed. May he rest in peace.
My prayers are with you. I met Mikes mom and brother while waiting for United Limo for Mike and my husband to arrive. Thank you Mike for your military service! God be with you and your family.
Dearest Aunt Ruby, Godson Barry & George,
I just don’t know where to start to describe the feelings of pride, love & honor I feel about Brownie and the sadness in my heart for your loss & our families loss. He was one of a kind & we are so glad to have known him. Mike didn’t know a stranger and helped anyone that needed it! All our love!
Our heartfelt prayers and sympathy go out to Mike Brown and his family. Mike was a fixture and hometown hero here in Three Oaks and he will be missed by all here in the community. It saddens us terribly to lose such a wonderful person. Thank you Brownie for you’re many years of dedicated service to our country and to your hometown. We are all proud of you Mike Brown!
To The Brown Family:
I am so sorry to hear about Mike. We all grew up together.. He was a good person. Thank you for serving the U.S. Mike. You will be missed..
None of our lives will be the same without him in it. Our entire family will feel this loss the rest of our lives. We loved him and he loved us. Always a kiss and hug. I can see him now with his Dad in Heaven. We continue to pray for strength for you Aunt Ruby and Barry and George. We all have wonderful memories to get us through this. Thank you Barry and Timmy for taking the long trip to bring him home. May God bless you on your journey.
My heart & thoughts go out to Mike Brown’s Family & Friends. I had the pleasure of meeting Mike over the summer in Dealer (BlackJack) School in New Buffalo, MI. He was a gentlemen, friendly & helpful during our 8 wks of training. During our breaks, We often spoke about serving our Country & what an honor it was to be an American. He was a nice guy but that status upgraded to “Super Nice Guy”, when he told me what he was doing after graduating dealer school. He was going to Australia to put a roof on his ex-wife’s house & hope he would get hired when he returned. Although our friendship was cut short, I’m still blessed to have met Mike & listen to his life experiences.
Aloha & Mahalo Mike for serving our Country.
Our deepest sympathy to Michael’s family. We are all thankful for his friendship and years of service protecting our Country. Rest in Peace Brownie.
Ruby and family. Please accept our deepest sympathy for such a great loss. He is one of my oldest friends and have given so much thought to times that I was able to spend with Mike. I chuckle a lot about growing up with both he and Barry. I am thankful for his service for our country, your family and the community. He will be greatly missed. Rest in peace my friend.
Dear Aunt Ruby,Barry and George,
We are so sorry for the news about Mike. Our hearts truly go out to you and all the family and those that knew him. Many wonderful memories as we all grew up together in our family community-we’ll treasure that always!
Love and prayers for you all and true hope of seeing him again-
Job 14:14,15
The thoughts and prayers of Lions of Michigan, District 11-B2 are with Brownie’s family. He was reaquainting himself with the rest of us and will be missed.
Michael was a very loved, intelligent man. He was like a father to me. I love him so much!
I was with Brownie in El Sal doing some Army stuff a few years ago, I still have a picture of us on the tailgate of a truck, he was such an awesome dude. Loved every moment I was with him and appreciate his mentorship. RIP Brownie. You so crazy!
Dearest Brown Family,
I’m so very sorry for such a tragic loss. Mike was a friend to everyone and will be missed by all. I pray justice will be served…
Brownie lived a great life, and I pray Ruby and Barry find peace soon. I will always remember the impact the Brown family made in my life.
Always There,
Reese
DOL
Brownie was such a wonderful neighbor and friend. He will be remembered by all who knew him with fond memories. He was such a great asset to community of Three Oaks, no one will ever fill those shoes. THank you for all of the years of service to your community and this country. Our prayers go out to Ruby, George and Barry.
George and Ruby, so sorry to hear this terrible news! Mike was one of a kind and he will be missed; so sorry we didn’t get a chance to visit with him once more. Our thoughts and prayers are with you.
Ruby, Barry and family,
We are so sorry for the loss of Mike. I will always remember growing up with Mike in Lakeside. I will never forget Mike and all the times we spent together. I remember how he use to ride his bike to Austin’s after his paper route and buy M&M’s. He was always good friend and would share them with me. I’ll never forget his Blue 442 white top convertible… what a car! and I’ll never forget what a real friend he was to me in 6th grade when I was being bullied. Mike didn’t like it and told them they better stop or else he would make them stop…. they stopped..He had my backside… always… Then he went on to serve our country…with quite a distingished career. You can kinda say he was protecting all of our backsides…just like he had mine in 6th grade… Our prayers are with you.
Dear Ruby, George, Barry, and family, we were so sorry to hear about Mike. Our thoughts and prayers are with you during this sad time.
My deepest sympathy for Ruby and Berry for the loss of an American Hero He is a true gentleman and made friendship everywhere. His friendship and laughter will be missed. God bless his Soul. May you find strength in Brownies spirit to heal your broken hearts. RIP Brownie
our thoughts and prayers are with you all.
Deepest condolensces to mikes family . Havent seen him in a few yrs but still saddened by the news. Rest in piece mike..
I and my family extend our sincerest condolences to Brownie’s family. He was a great American in many ways and will certainly be missed.
There are no words to make this better but to Mike’s family I am so sorry this happened. I still can’t believe it. He was a great guy, one of the best.
Ruby, that little red-headed imp grew up to be quite a guy. You can be proud of the life he lead, the service he gave, and the good that he created. Our sympathies to you, George, Barry, and all the Browns and Reitz extended families. Mike was a great man.
On behalf of the R.V. class of 1977, please accept our deepest sympathies for the loss of our classmate and friend Brownie. Our hearts are greatly saddened and we will miss him. He was a great American and we will never forget him. Pray that justice is served.
My deepest sympathy to Ruby, Bear and Brownies family he was such a wonderful, honest and caring man. He will be missed by all and I will truly cherish his friendship. RIP Brownie we all love you!
TRUE definition of a local HERO! You will be missed and remembered by many Brownie….
I have to agree 100%. True hero and such a great man to know. Heaven is full of fantastic people. RIP Brownie!
Mike Brown was a great soldier, a true patriot and solid citizen. He will be missed by a whole community.
Mike will be missed by all God must have needed some help and called him home. I can’t imagine your greif But my thoughts and prayers are with you all my love Su
Ruby, Barry, George and all who knew him; our hearts filled with sorrow. Brownie was so many things to us, cousin, friend, neighbor, but most of all hero! Our community will forever have a void. RIP Brownie!
Mike was a really great guy, giving, caring, dedicated, to not only friends and family but to his country, a real American hero. What a great example of a true American for all who knew him. His friendship will be greatly missed. Truly, we are hurting with you, and praying for you.
Our deepest sympathy goes out to you guys. Aunt Ruby & George, Barry, and the rest of our huge family. Mike will be truly missed. He will always be remebered in our hearts for all his generous work he did for his friends and family, community, and especially his country. RIP Cuz.
We did not knew Michael James Brown, however after reading about him in the SB Tribune, I felt that we really wanted to express our condolences to his family. My husband is the Commander at the Nappanee American Legion Post #154. I the President of the Auxiliary. From our community to yours you have our deepest condolences. Michael was an amazing man, that did amazing things for our country. He is a true Hero! RIP Michael.
Although I never got to meet this great American hero, I am just blessed to know the family he came from. I will render my salute to him and pray that he rests in peace forever with our Lord. From one soldier to another, I salute you Master Sergeant Brown.
Aunt Ruby,Berry,George. Our deepest symathy.We are honored to have been in Mikes life. Thoughts and prayers are with you all.Cousins Daniel & Mickie Springer
Ruby–My sincere sympathy to you and all of your family.
my deepest sympathy to ruby,barry,george,mike was a great friend and former military person ,i had alot of great times with mike playing softball and just about anything you could without getting into trouble,LOL ,you will be surely missed mike
Barry & family, please except our deepest condolences on the loss of such a wonderful human being. Thank you Mike for protecting & serving our wonderful country. God Bless you all.
Mike’s family, so glad to hear that he is back home still so sad he was such a good man and he did so much for his country and the community.
My condolences and sympathy to Mike’s family and friends. I had the opportunity to serve periodically with Mike and there was not a better man to be associated with. The world was a better place having Mike to pass through it. Again, my deepest condolences to family and friends.
With deepest condolensces to Ruby,Barry and extended family.
We are so sorry for your loss.
Ruby, George and Family
Our sincere sympathy to all of you.
He gave love and kindness to all of the many lives he touched. There are no words to express the deep sadness brought on by this great loss.
my deepest condolences to family and friends. Mike was one of a kind. Loved and respected by his friends. R.I.P. MY AMIGO
The community has lost such a dear sole. He will be missed by so many family and friends.
Words can’t describe on how shocked I am after hearing about what happened. Mike was too nice of a guy for him to leave us in such a brutel. He’s do anything for anyone.. So glad I did have the HONOR of know him. Very sorry to the family of your loss. I’ll miss ya Brownie !!
To the Brown Family,
Denny & I knew Mike for a long time, would always look forward to Flag Day to talk to him and see where in the last yr he had been to. So many places and so many friends! I am glad to see my uncle Fr. Don Suberlak will be giving a Scripture service in rememberence of Mike.
Thank You Mike for give your time to keep us save, only if we could of kept you safe!
Jill Lutes
To the Brown Famiy,
My family would like to send our condolences. I served with Brownie in Afghanistan he was a true friend and will be missed.
Brownie was a great neighbor, never knew a stranger, and made a new friend with eveyone he met.He did’nt know how to say no to anyone he thought he could help and his smile will stay with us always. Regrets to his family. We can only hope there is justice for this brave man, our friend always. Wait for us on the other side my friend, I hope you’re thre to meet us. Neil and Linda
I would like to express my deepest sympathy and prayers to all of Mike’s family and friends. Brownie was a TRUE AMERICAN HERO who dedicated his life to serving our Country and trying to make it a safe and better place. In Three Oaks everyone knew Brownie. Your memory will live on forever. God Bless You and Thank You!!
Mike was really a great man. I did not know of all of these wonderful accomplishments. I know you will miss him greatly. We want to express our deepest sympathy. His memory will definitely live on forever.
Our Deepest Sympathy to Mikes mother and family.He was our son(Jamies)best friend and Uncle Mike to the kids.Gone to soon,May he rest in Peace.
my sympathy to Mikes family,such a good man ,I worked with with mike at Dons its been a long time a go .always took time to say hello and a smile he is and will be missed . god bless
Mike,you are a great loss to us.You were a true friend and loved life. Although we have a loss in our hearts, we have the legacy you left us.You served your country as well as other countries, beyond the call of duty.Our sympathies to Mike’s family and all who were privilege to know him. God bless you.
I will always cherish the memories of the antics of Mike and the rest of the Team from C/1/12th. I remember our trip to Korea. Mike had just recovered – after breaking both his legs. We were to move to our exfiltration site through the mountian passes. Mikes legs were really bothering him, so instead we broke down our weapons, stuffed them in our rucksacks, made “Controller” arm bands out of my white weapons cleaning cloth, and headed on down to the highway to hail a taxi. We ended up on a wedding bus instead – eating and drinking. We walked to the exfiltration point nearly stumbling with food and bottles of alcohol stuffed everywhere. We made so much noise at the exfiltration point, we were ordered to move to the alternate (as they thought this one to be compromised). I thought MSG Smith was going to beat both our butts when we arrived at the alternate, especially when he realized it was us all along. We ran into one another quite often here is southeast asia … somehow we always managed to acquire a bit of alcohol. I’m really gonna miss this “To Hell with General Order One” drinking buddy.
We want to express our deepest sympathy to Ruby, and the entire Brown family. He left this community too soon, too young and too tragic. Peace be with you all.
Chuck & Nancy Jacobs
Ruby, George & family, We are so sorry for your loss! It’s still hard to believe, but know you are experiencing real heartache and pain. We hope that the love of friends and family will ease your loss and the good times you’ve had will keep your memories of Brownie alive. Keeping you all in our prayers for the weeks and months to come…
Our deepest sympathy to your family at the passing of one of the nicest people I have ever met.My thoughts and prayers are with you.
Our hearts ache for you. Brownie’s passing is a great loss to your family and the community. He will always be remembered.
We will miss you brother Brown. RIP
We send our deepest of sympathy to your many friends and extended family.
Brownie and I were classmates and I remember him as being a warm, honest and much loved person which followed him throughout life. We’ve lost a true American Hero and I thank him for all of his dedication and years of service to this country. My deepest sympathy goes out to Brownie’s family and close friends. You cannot replace someone as good as he was so keep those cherished memories close to your hearts for comfort.
I am so very sorry….he will be greatly missed.
Dino contacted me and let me know about Mike. We are so sorry for your loss. He was a man of valor in both his community and country. He will be missed. You are in our prayers.
The Fowler 5 Mike,Lisa, Brianna, Zachary and Koren
I wish to extend my sympathy. I am so very sorry for your tragic loss. I am very impressed with all the accomplishments Mr. Brown achieved in his lifetime. I am sure the pillar of your family will be sorely missed. Frank LaLone