Obituary of Larry W. Brown

Brown, Larry W., "W7LB" to his ham radio buddies. Born in San Antonio on June 9, 1951, graduate of Texas A&M, Class of 1973, Larry was a senior engineer for Hughes Aircraft and Raytheon Corporation in Tucson, Arizona. His thirty-year career was filled with interesting—and often classified—work that included blowing up remote-controlled golf carts to test the guidance system on Maverick missiles. He is the lead inventor on the patent for powder paint, developed for aerospace applications but now widely used in many industries. Larry was an active member of the Southern Arizona DX Association, the Raytheon Catalina Radio Club, and the Radio Society of Tucson. He was also a member of the American Radio Relay League, AMSAT, and the Tucson Amateur Astronomy Association. He gave back to the community through his hobbies to school programs and organizing radio coverage for the annual Tour de Tucson bicycle event. Friends remember him as always generous with his time, technical advice, and knowledge. He was as one said, "a Ham's Ham," a true friend, and a man who deeply loved his family. He grew to love the deserts of Arizona for the beauty of their night skies. In addition to supporting the Ham radio, amateur satellite, and amateur astronomy communities, he enjoyed travels that included a tour flying a small plane over the Australian outback and scuba diving to photograph the Great Barrier Reef and coral reefs in Mexico and the Caribbean. In the eighties he won awards as a competitive marksman. He died at the age of 67 on January 20, 2019, of complications of pneumonia after a two-week hospitalization in Tucson. Larry is predeceased by his parents, Joe H. and Audrey L. Brown. He is survived by two sisters, a brother, and their families, which include five nieces and two great nephews: sister Rebecca Young and husband Larry of Big Lake, Texas; sister Janet Spencer and husband Scott of Richmond, Virginia; and brother Kenneth Brown and wife Helen of San Antonio; niece Lauren Spencer and husband Mark Vandevelde of New York; niece Sarah Dickerson and husband Michael and son Joseph of San Antonio; niece Elizabeth Young of Abilene; niece Taelor Mackin, husband Brandon, and son Jason of Ft. Worth; and niece Meredith Spencer of Richmond.