Norman Brown

Norman Brown entered into the presence of his Lord and Savior Jesus Christ on July 18, 2018 after a valiant decade long fight with lymphoma.  Norman was a humble, godly servant who will be greatly missed by family and friends.  We will always cherish our memories of Norman and his honourable legacy. 

He is survived by: his three children and five grandchildren - Heather Brown of Winnipeg; Colin Brown (Fiona) and daughter Tayte of Vancouver, and Bruce Brown (Sharon) and daughter Sarah and sons Matthew, Thomas and Joshua of Winnipeg; his sister Helen Unrau and sister-in-law Susan, and brother Gordon.  He was predeceased by his wife Dorothy; parents Jacob and Maria Brown; sister Mary Neufeld and brothers Isaac, Jake, Abe, Frank, Pete, George, Bill and John. 

Norman was born on July 24, 1935, the 2nd youngest child of Jacob and Maria Brown.  Norman had an adventurous childhood growing up on the family farm near Austin, Manitoba.  He was the first in his family to go to post-secondary studies, where he met Dorothy, his wife to be and best friend in life, at Teacher’s College; they married on June 30, 1960.  Students in Manitoba and British Columbia were the beneficiaries of their teaching talents until 1974, when the couple joined Power to Change (formerly Campus Crusade for Christ), an organization that enabled them to share the word of God.  Norman dedicated the last forty-four years of his life to Power to Change.  At the time of his passing, he was the Community Outreach Coordinator, which allowed him to mentor people in need across the globe via the Internet.  In typical Norman-style, he continued to help those in need from his hospital bed, computer in hand.

During his time with Power to Change, Norman made over 20 trips to South America (most with Dorothy by his side) showing the JESUS film and distributing the Plautdietsch Bible.  Norman’s great passion was to help people find freedom and deliverance through Jesus Christ.  Over the years, Norman and Dorothy shared the Gospel in numerous countries including Russia, Ukraine, Mexico, Venezuela, Argentina, Belize and Bolivia.  Norman and Dorothy were an outstanding team, both in their mission work and marriage.  For many years, they coordinated the Family Life Conferences in Winnipeg, coaching couples and strengthening marriages.

Norman was always an active member at Grant Memorial.  In most recent years, he was an elder, part of the seniors group and part of a small group.

While never seeking, nor wanting, attention for himself, Norman’s contributions did not go unnoticed.  In 2015, he received the Athletes In Action Legacy Award at the Grey Cup Breakfast.  He was the first ever chaplain for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers, serving as such from 1977 to 1995.  He also served as chaplain to the Winnipeg Jets.

Norman had an enviable zest for life and an unwavering positive outlook.  He took great pleasure in encouraging and showing God’s grace and love to others.  He was an exemplary Christ Follower, which was reflected in how he lived his life.  Norman was the real deal.  He was a loving father, grandpa and faithful, devoted and loving husband to Dorothy for over 50 years prior to her death in 2011.  He took great interest in his children’s lives.  He showed compassionate care and love for daughter Heather, championing her involvement in Special Olympics and her living independently as much as possible.

He treasured his grandchildren and took a keen interest in their lives, often texting or calling; he made sure they knew how important they were to him.   Special lunch dates and sleepovers were common with Grandpa Brown and visits to Vancouver were a top priority.  Grandpa Brown was a really cool grandpa!

Norman moved into Lindenwood Manor in January 2018 and quickly made friends with many of the residents there.  The down-home Mennonite food was a particular delight to him.  He felt very welcomed and enjoyed the time he lived there.

A Memorial Service to celebrate Norman’s life will be held at 1:00 p.m. Friday, July 27 at Grant Memorial Baptist Church, 877 Wilkes Ave.  Refreshments will be served following the service. Interment will follow at the Austin Cemetery.

Donations may be made in Norman’s memory to: Power to Change Ministries, 20385 64 Avenue, Langley, BC, V2Y 1N5.

The family wishes to thank the kind staff on E5 at the St. Boniface Hospital who gave such compassionate care to their dad and grandpa and for the many who prayed and continue to pray.

“Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life. I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life” (1 John 5:12–13).

https://thoughts-about-god.com/stories_/norm-brown-story

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