Brown, C.L.

C.L. Brown

Services: Have been held.

Mr. C.L. Brown, 80, of Portales, died Friday, April 23, 2004, at Plains Regional Medical Center in Clovis.

He was born on March 14, 1924, in Megargel, Texas, to Nancy Ann and Sam Brown.

He grew up in Megargel and Melrose, before moving to Portales in 1932. He enlisted in the U.S. Navy in 1942. He was assigned as a radar operator to the USS Hornet, an aircraft carrier, on which he served in the South Pacific during World War II. In 1946, he enrolled at Easter New Mexico University and received a bachelor’s degree in 1949. He married JoAnne Gorrell on Dec. 30, 1951, in Portales and worked as an accountant for the Roosevelt County Electric Coop. from 1952 until 1957. They moved to Clovis and he was employed by the Farmers Electric Coop. They moved to Cloudcroft in 1960, where he worked for Otero County Electric until retiring in 1982. They moved back to Portales in 1988.

He was preceded in death by his parents; three brothers, George, Johnny and Charlie Brown; and two sisters, Stella Little and Lucy Jane Mackey.

Survivors include his wife; two sons, Jeffrey C. Brown (and wife, Diane) of Coldspring, Texas, and Dean Vaughn (Vicki) of Minocqua, Wis.; two daughters, Candice Gruger (Jon) of Livermore, Calif. and Jeanne Banks of Albuquerque; three grandchildren, Noleah and Bryan Brown and Michael Vaughn; and several nieces and nephews, including Gordon Brown.

Marlin Poynor will officiate the services.

Burial will be at Portales Cemetery.

Pallbearers are members of the New Mexico National Guard.

Honorary pallbearers are Jimmy Warnica, D.L. Hawkins, Joe Blair, Ernest Leach, James Kiker, Lupe Marcus and Millard Arnold.

Arrangements are by Wheeler Mortuary of Portales.