JONESBORO — Bill Stivers Brown
was born on September 24, 1926 in Mt. Vernon, Ark., to George Coleman Brown and Georgia Eunice Stivers Brown. He passed away on April 29, 2020 at 93 years old. Bill lived a full life, with a personality bigger than life, always with a smile, joke or story to tell. A professed Irishman, who kissed the blarney stone, would occasionally sing you an Irish song.
He is preceded in death by his parents, brother, Joe Brown and sister, Judy Brown Caraway.
He is survived by his wife, Marilyn Woodson Brown. They are blessed with five children; Mika (Herb) Hyman, Tim O. (Arleen) Brown, Katy (Joe) Spake, Lynette Clayton, and Steve (Mary) Clayton, 16 grandchildren and 20 great-grandchildren.
He grew up in Conway and after graduation on June 7, 1944, volunteered for the US Air Corps and served during World War II. After Basic and Gunnery training he was sent to the South Pacific as a tail-gunner on B-25 bombers in November 1944. Bill spent two years during WW II in the South Pacific flying missions over Wake Island, Leyte Island, Okinawa, Iwo Jima and Guadalcanal. He was honorably discharged in December 1946.
After the war, he attended and played football at Arkansas State Teachers College (now UCA) in 1947, 1948, 1951 & 1952 and competed on the Boxing Team in 1948. The 1947 team went undefeated, won the AIC Championship, and played in the Kickapoo Bowl in Wichita Falls, Texas. After the 1952 season, he was invited to tryout with the Chicago Bears of the NFL. Bill was runner-up in the Mid-South Golden Gloves Championship in Memphis in 1948 as a Heavy-Weight. In 1952-53, he was elected President of the SGA for ASTC. He graduated in May 1953.
In 1953, Bill moved to Jonesboro where he founded Brown’s Graduation Supplies, representing Herff Jones class ring company and Walsworth Publishing yearbook company. Bill was named Walsworth Publishing Company “Man of the Year” in 1978 and inducted into the Herff Jones “Hall of Fame” in 1998.
Memorial Services will be family only due to Covid 19. A virtual Memorial is being planned, please send an email to timobrown@brownsgrad.com to be notified when completed.
Memorial gifts can be given in his honor to St. Mark’s Episcopal Church, 531 W. College Ave, Jonesboro, Ark., 72401 or Pi Kappa Alpha Scholarship Fund, 1410 Franklin St., Jonesboro, Ark., 72401.