Loranzo Duane Brown, 88, son of Loranzo Dow and Della Beeler Brown, was born April 23, 1919, at St. James. He died Nov. 17, 2007, at Springfield.
He grew up at West Plains, where his father owned half of a furniture store and half of one at Thayer.
The family traded the interest in the West Plains store for full ownership of the one at Thayer, where they moved in 1935. It was there he met and married Mary Katherine. They had two sons.
Mr. Brown served two years in Europe during World War II. After military service, the Browns were unable to find a building in West Plains for a furniture store and opened one in Houston, operating it from 1947 to 1949. They moved Brown’s Furniture to West Plains in 1949, where it remains.
The Browns assisted in establishing three churches: First General Baptist in West Plains, Riverside General Baptist at Mammoth Spring, Ark., and Calvary General Baptist at West Plains.
He was preceded in death by his wife Aug. 9, 1997.
He married Thelma Wallace Feb. 16, 1999.
In addition to his first wife, he was preceded in death by his parents; one brother, Harold Raymond Brown; and one sister, Vera Mae Roark.
Surviving are his wife of the home at West Plains; two sons, Doyle Brown and Curtis Brown of West Plains; one stepdaughter, Meredith Bandy of Kimberling City; four grandchildren, two step-grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren.
Services were Nov. 20 at the Calvary General Baptist Church at West Plains with Bill Bales and Jim Johnson officiating. Burial with military honors was in the Oak Lawn Cemetery at West Plains under the direction of Carter Funeral Home Inc. of West Plains.
