Stephentown – Richard Frederick Brown, 64, a lifelong resident of Stephentown, NY, died on Sunday, March 8, 2009, at the Cancer Treatment Center of America in Philadelphia, PA, due to complications from pancreatic cancer.
Born in Pittsfield, MA, on July 3, 1944, he was the son of the late Frederick N. and Leona M. Fitzgerald Brown, Jr. He was the beloved husband and best friend of the former Mary Lou Mahoney, whom he married on March 26, 1966.
A 1962 graduate of Berlin High School and a 1964 graduate of Hudson Valley Community College, Richard was employed as a draftsman and surveyor, with over 35 years as a survey party chief, with the International Union of Operating Engineers Local 545-D and Local 106. During his career he worked on projects including the power line layout from Newtown, CT, to Lenox, MA, the South Mall construction project in Albany, NY, the Nine Mile 2 power plant in Oswego, NY, the Fort Drum re-development project in Watertown, NY, the highway layout work on I-90 in Rensselaer, NY, the I-890 in Schenectady, NY, and I-84 in Newburgh, NY. As a union surveyor he worked for a number of contractors including George A. Fuller Construction, Walsh Construction, Stone and Webster Engineering, Peter Kiewit & Sons, Bechtel, Survey Associates and most recently C.D. Perry & Sons until his retirement in 2001.
Richard was a communicant of both St. Joseph’s Church in Stephentown and the Church of the Immaculate Conception in New Lebanon, NY. He served as a volunteer fireman in the Stephentown Volunteer Fire Department in the 1960s and 1970s. He loved his family, football and baseball – especially the Philadelphia Eagles and the New York Yankees. Richard enjoyed the outdoors and residential building construction, had a great love of music and played the steel guitar and piano.
Survivors besides his beloved wife include his adoring children Lisa M. and her husband Matthew McGrath of Ramsey, NJ, Beth E. Brown and Andrea Composto of Nyack, NY, and Michael S. Brown of East Greenbush NY, his adoring grandchildren, Jake B., Thomas J. and Ryan G. McGrath, a brother, Joseph E. and his wife Barb Brown of Stephentown, a sister-in-law, Carol Mahoney of Grafton, NY, and many cousins including Patricia (Fitzgerald) Kingston of North Greenbush along with many nieces and nephews. He was pre-deceased by a brother, Allan L. Brown.
Funeral services will be on Saturday, March 14, at 9:45 am from the Hall & Higgins Funeral Home, 457 NY 43, Stephentown, then at 10:30 am in St. Joseph’s Church (across from the funeral home) where family friend Rev. Kenneth Gregory will celebrate a Liturgy of Christian Death and Burial. Burial will follow in St. Joseph’s Cemetery.
Relatives and friends are invited to the funeral home for visitation on Friday from 4 to 8 pm.
In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to the Cancer Treatment Center of America, 1331 E. Wyoming Avenue, Philadelphia, PA, 19124, to the Stephentown Volunteer Fire Department or the Stephentown Rescue Squad in loving memory of Richard F. Brown. For directions or online guest registry, please visit www.hall-higgins.com.