GORHAM – Burtis Brown Jr., 87, Architectural Engineer of Gorham, passed from our sight Sept. 19, 2013, at Gosnell Memorial Hospice House in Scarborough of complications after a long and courageous battle with prostate cancer.
Born in Yarmouth, son of Burtis and Sarah Woodman Brown July 23, 1926, he attended schools in North Haven, and graduated president of his class from North Yarmouth Academy in 1944. Burtis enlisted in the U.S. Navy and served in the Pacific theater until after the end of World War II. He attended the University of Maine, graduating with a B.S. degree in Civil Engineering in 1950 and worked for the architectural firm of Stevens and Saunders until 1959, when he became a founding partner and treasurer of Allied Engineering, Inc., and Sawyer, Brown, and Morton (SBM), Inc. Mr. Brown was a registered Professional Engineer and Land Surveyor, specialized in electrical systems, and designed numerous academic, municipal, and commercial buildings throughout the State of Maine before his gradual retirement in the early 1980s.
An avid outdoorsman and amateur musician, he enjoyed hunting and fishing, target shooting, model building, and played jazz saxophone and clarinet.
His first wife of 49 years, Ethel C. Sommers, died in 1998. His second wife, Virginia Smith, died in 2012. He was also predeceased by a sister, Lois King of Yarmouth in 2004. Surviving are brother, Lewis Daniel Brown and wife, Ann, of Wales; daughter, Alana C. VanDerwerker and husband, Gerritt, of Waldoboro; son, Alan R. Brown and wife, Kathryn, of Gorham; son, James Woodman Brown and consort, Regina Catterson, of Minot; grandchildren, Justin S. Brown of Portland, Dr. Alexandria C. Brown of Northampton, Mass., and Melissa C. Paine of West Baldwin; and four great-grandchildren.
The family especially thanks the dedicated caretakers of In-Home Senior Services for their compassionate supporting care and companionship during his last several years.
At his request, there will be no funeral or memorial service. A family burial service will be held at Riverside Cemetery in Yarmouth. Memorial donations to the Maine Cancer Foundation or Gosnell Memorial Hospice will be welcomed.
Burtis Brown Jr.
