BROWN, CASPAR H. “CAP”

A great run has come to an end. After 90+ years of living, Cap Brown passed away on January 12, 2013. Born Caspar Herrmann Brown, Jr. on June 9, 1922 in Eufala, Oklahoma, Cap spent his formative years in Springfield, Illinois and later studied business at the University of Missouri. Like many of his generation, Cap proudly served his country during World War II (Army Air Corps) and the Korean War (Air Force) where he flew P-51s, B-24s and B-17s and obtained the rank of First Lieutenant. Back in Springfield after the war, Cap went to work for his father’s insurance agency. In short order, he met and married Joan Roberta Mills and together they had five children. Tiring of the mid-western winters, Cap and Joan moved their young brood west to Phoenix in the summer of 1964. They settled in Moon Valley and provided their children with a loving and boisterous home. In Arizona Cap worked as a real estate broker and then began a small custom home building company, ultimately becoming a real estate owner/investor. Business was good enough for Cap to put all five children through ASU and to afford him ample time to pursue his leisure-time pleasures, primarily golf, hunting and fishing. An accomplished bird hunter and lake fisherman, Cap avidly pursued both activities up until the end. Golf, however, was what got him out of bed each day. Armed with a never-say-die attitude, Cap was a dogged competitor on the golf course. He regularly began shooting his age in his early 70s and achieved the coveted feat over 1,000 times. Cap and one or the other of his sons captured the Arizona Father-Son golf championship on three different occasions, the last occurring in 2002 on his 80^th birthday. What happened after is the stuff of legend. Cap also found time to become a 32^nd degree Mason, serve as a precinct committeeman for the Republican Party and support the Phoenix Suns. Smallish in stature, Cap had an outsized persona. He attacked life straight-ahead and everyone knew where he stood. Whether you agreed with Cap or not, you had to admire his tenacity. Cap Brown stories always bring a smile. Cap met a lot of people and made a lot of friends during his life, and his family appreciates the kindness all have shown him. Predeceased by his parents (Caspar and Freda), Cap is survived by his sister (Gloria), his ex-wife (Joan), his five children and their spouses (Pamela – Craig Elwood, Mills – Loretta, Rusty – Diane Spieker, Melissa – Charles Johnson, and Curtis – Cindy), and his ten grandchildren (Chelsea, Hannah, Lauren, Samantha, Haley, Mackenzie, Devon, John, Jessica and Lucas). Cap split his time between Phoenix and Pinetop the past several decades and events are planned for both locations. The first will be on Saturday, January 19^th from 4:00 P.M. to 7:00 P.M. at Gainey Ranch Golf Club. All who knew Cap are welcome to join friends and family in a casual celebration of his life. And for once, Cap’s buying.