Celebrating the life of Chester "Chet" Douglas Brown, Jr.

God blessed the world with the life of Chester Douglas Brown, Jr., born January 22, 1930, in Ithaca, NY, to Chester Sr. and Margaret Brown. He passed away on March 23, 2026. Chester grew up in Ithaca and graduated from Ithaca High School in 1949. He served proudly in the United States Army Military Police Corps, receiving an honorable discharge in 1952.

Chester built a life around craftsmanship and hard work. After returning from military service, he worked in construction and machine shops, "as he always loved to work with his hands." In 1953 he moved to Boston, where he graduated from the Massachusetts Trade Shop School. He later joined the Federal government, where he worked until retiring in 1986. Even in retirement, he continued making home improvements and helping neighbors well into his late seventies and early eighties.

He found joy and community in the Cambridge Gun & Rod Club, West Gardiner, ME, one of the nation's oldest historically Black sportsmen's clubs, where he eventually served as treasurer. Chester cherished the years spent in Maine fishing, canoeing, and bonding with fellow members. In 1955, he married the love of his life, Doris Ann (Cavil) Brown, and together they raised three children. Their home was filled with family, travel, and shared adventures, including trips abroad and later years spent side by side at St. Joseph's Rehabilitation and Nursing Center.

Chester leaves behind three children—Denise Brown-Fryar (Perry), Chester Brown III (Zina), and Renee Dixon (Ronald), along with grandchildren, great-grandchildren, his sister Beverly Johnson, and a host of family and friends. He is reunited in peace with his beloved wife of 70 years, Doris, as well as his sister Donna Belle (Brown) Johnson and brother George Brown.

His legacy lives on in the family he loved, the community he supported, and the countless things he built with his hands and his heart.