John A. Brown

John A. Brown, PhD, died on Sunday, January 5, 2014, in Bozeman, MT, after a lengthy illness. On Saturday, September 13, a private memorial will be held at his home in Bozeman. Family and friends will gather to remember a remarkable and unique man. John was born in Minneapolis, MN to James and Elma Brown on April 26, 1930. He spent much of his youth in Kasson, MN, where he grew up with his aunt and made many lifelong friends. He graduated from Central High School in Minneapolis in 1947, attended McAllister College in St. Paul, MN, and later graduated from the University of Minnesota. John married Central High School classmate Patricia Garrett in Minneapolis on July 26, 1952. Pat was born in Crow Agency, MT, and very much missed her home state. John promised her they would return to Montana and in 1958 he and Pat moved to Bozeman and eventually made their home at the foot of the Bridgers north of town. John attended Montana State University, where he earned a Doctorate degree in mathematics and took a teaching position. He eventually went on to work for several branches of the Federal Government, including the Department of Defense and NASA. He specialized in working with early super computers. His career also took him to positions with NATO, several technology companies and a variety of government contractors. He retired from the National Bureau of Standards (now the National Institute of Standards and Technology) in the early 1990’s. There, he served as head of the Advanced Computing Environment Group and was the Assistant Director of the Center for Computing and Applied Mathematics in Boulder, CO. Through it all, John and Pat maintained their home in Bozeman, where he retired to and remained until his death. His interests ranged from classic movies, spending time with their Irish Wolfhounds and acting in community theater productions. He was well read, had a dry sense of humor and always enjoyed a good conversation. John is survived by his beloved wife Pat, nephews Dave Brown and Jim Brown, niece Lisa Brown, sister-in-law Merilyn Brown, and first cousin Sue Peltola among many others. John was a brilliant, witty man and will be deeply missed. Condolences and memories may be shared with the family at www.dahlcares.coma