Kenneth Baxter Brown
Join us in celebrating Kenneth—please share your stories and photos, and help spread the word about this page!
Kenneth Baxter Brown, 75, of Raleigh passed away peacefully November 14 after a short but brave fight with ALS. Ken was born in 1946 in Hattiesburg, Mississippi to John and Belva Brown. He spent his childhood exploring the farm and forest lands of Stone County and went on to earn his bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering from Ole Miss, where he also found his wife of 52 years, Linda. He remained a devoted Rebels fan all his life.
Ken worked at IBM for 35 years. He worked on the Apollo Space Program in Huntsville, Alabama and Gaithersburg, Maryland and as an engineer and manager in Charlotte, NC. He won a prestigious award for his work on the IBM ProPrinter. He was known as a great leader and recruiter of fine talent, and the boss you wanted to have. Many of his professional contacts became lifelong friends.
More precious than his numerous educational or professional accomplishments was his love for friends and family. Ken was one of a kind, with a quirky sense of humor. He brought joy and laughter to everyone who knew him. Ken and Linda complemented each other perfectly. Linda always tried to keep him in line, but it was a losing battle. They were a shining example of a good marriage as each always put the other one first. As far as that goes, Ken put everyone before himself, especially his family, and followed his daughters and grandchildren to Raleigh upon his retirement. He appreciated each family member for their unique personalities and strengths. He is adored by his daughters, admired by his sons-in-law and idolized by his grandchildren.
Ken was an active member and Stephen minister at North Raleigh United Methodist Church. He also devoted numerous hours with the Methodist Disaster Relief Team, Hearts and Hammers, and Opportunity House, and is remembered as the entertaining Sunday school teacher who threw ice chips at those who gave the wrong answer.
Ken is survived by his beloved wife, Linda (Boogie); daughters, Kellie (Pumpkin) Davis and Kristen (Baby Girl) McBryde; sons-in-law Brad Davis and John McBryde; grandchildren, Will, Barrett and Vince Davis; Baxter, Waylon and Collins McBryde and sister Sandra Fowlkes.
A sad party will be held at North Raleigh United Methodist Church on Saturday, November 20 at 1pm.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to North Raleigh United Methodist Church https://nrumc.org/giving-options/, Midway United Methodist Church https://www.midwayunitedmethodistchurch.org/give, the ALS Association North Carolina Chapter http://webnc.alsa.org/, or Pioneers Mission, 10123 William Carey Dr., Orlando, FL 32832
Arrangements are held with Brown Wynne Funeral Home, 1701 E. Millbrook Rd. Raleigh, NC 27609