Obituary of Victor Alan Brown

Victor Alan Brown, (90), a longtime resident of Cocoa Beach, passed away on January 3, 2024, after a 6-year battle with cancer and a recent bout of COVID. Vic, as he was known to friends, was born to R. Julian and Elizabeth Brown, on December 18, 1933, in Lynchburg, Virginia. He was a good student with a head for numbers and he received an appointment to the United States Naval Academy. After graduation, Vic completed flight training at NAS Pensacola (Florida) and NAS Hutchinson (Kansas). He went on to fly maritime patrol /anti-submarine aircraft, P2V Neptune, while stationed at NAS Whidbey Island (Washington) and Iwakuni Marine Corps Air Station, (Japan).

During his time at Whidbey Island, he met and married the love of his life, Marianne Skewis. In 1959, he resigned from active duty to join the Boeing Company. In 1961, during the early years of manned space flight, he was transferred to the Space Coast of Florida. He spent his entire career in the aerospace industry, in Cape Canaveral, Kennedy Space Center and Seattle. He worked at several companies over the years (TRW, PRC and EG&G) before returning to Boeing. His final assignment was on the Inertial Upper Stage space payload booster program before he retired from Boeing in 1993.

Vic and Marianne were avid travelers. Once their children were grown, they began pursuing their passion in earnest. They went to the Far East, Russia, India, Africa, the Middle East, Europe, the Baltic, the Caribbean, and many destinations in the US. Because of their love of the water, they chose to buy homes on waterfront properties. There, Vic could fish and boat whenever he wanted, right from the backyard. They also enjoyed playing duplicate bridge and participated in many regular bridge groups. Recently, Vic enjoyed a quieter life with Marianne; taking in beautiful views of the Banana River every day, watching many launches from their condo window, and playing with their rescue cats over the years.

Vic was a gentle and reserved man, but he also had a very quick wit. When he got that sparkle in his eye, you knew he was going to crack a joke or make a sarcastic quip. Despite spending his last six months in and out of the hospital, he never lost that sense of humor. He still made wry comments, especially when his caregivers thought he was sleeping. His kindness and humor will be missed.

Vic is survived by his wife of 64 years, Marianne, two children, David Brown and Laura Brown, and two grandchildren, Chase Brown and Nicolina Brown. He is also survived by his sister, Barbara Moore, along with many nieces, nephews, grandnieces, and grandnephews.

The family will host a Memorial Service on Monday, January 15, 2024; visitation at 10:00 a.m. followed by a service at 11:00 a.m. These events will be held at Beckman-Williamson Funeral Home in Cocoa Beach. In lieu of flowers, please consider donating to the Brevard Humane Society or another animal shelter of your choice in Vic’s name