Robert Roland Brown, 83

Robert Roland Brown, 83, of Hendersonville died on Easter Sunday, April 20, 2014, at Pardee Hospital following a stroke he suffered on Thursday, April 17, 2014.

Bob was born in Oshkosh, Wisc., on May 13, 1930, and lived there his entire childhood, graduating from Oshkosh High School in 1948. He attended the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and graduated in 1957. Shortly thereafter he went to work for Kimberly-Clark Corporation, where he spent his entire career in the accounting and finance area. His career at Kimberly-Clark took him to Kimberly and Niagara, Wisc.; West Carrolton, Ohio; Sacramento, Calif.; West Carrollton, Ohio (again); and finally to Roswell, Ga., where he retired as a Divisional Vice President. In 1988, he moved to Hendersonville, where he lived until his death.

Bob will be remembered for the circle of friends that he developed at each stop along his way, including those at Carolina Village, where he lived from 2004 until his death. He took pride in performing handyman tasks at the Village, as well as taking care of the bluebird boxes and making sure the bird feeders were filled. He had a passion for volunteer work, including 25 years of delivering Meals on Wheels for the Hendersonville County Council on Aging. After recovering from heart surgery in 2013, his first priority was to return to his delivery route.

Bob loved to sing, and was a member of the choir at First United Methodist Church of Hendersonville. In particular, he loved to sing Handel's "Messiah," singing in "Do-It-Yourself" versions dozens of times, including with his family in Chicago. Just prior to his death, he listened to the "Hallelujah Chorus" from the Easter section of the "Messiah," with a smile on his face. He was also a huge fan of the Atlanta Braves formerly the Milwaukee Braves who unfortunately did not often bring a smile to his face once the playoffs began.

Bob was preceded in death by his parents Ernest and Gladys Brown. He married Roslyn Smith in 1951, and later was married to Inez Singer, who died in October 2012. He is survived by his sister, Mary and husband George Laipple; his brother, Thomas Brown; and his children, William and wife Cindy Brown, Nancy and husband Ronald Roberts, and James and wife Gretchen Winter Brown. He is also survived by his stepchildren Michael and wife Lisa Ehlen, Kristine Ehlen and Sara Ehlen. There are five grandchildren, Jacqueline, Jill, Holly, Otto and Andrea, and one great grandchild, Katherine.

The family wishes to thank long-time friend Dr. Ron Moffitt for his care of Bob since moving to Hendersonville, as well as the physicians from Asheville Heart and the staff at Mission Hospital in Asheville for his treatment in the summer of 2013.

A memorial service will be held at 2 p.m. on Saturday, May 17, 2014, at First United Methodist Church of Hendersonville, with Reverend Dan Martin and Reverend Christy Sharp officiating. A private inurnment will be held prior to the service.

In lieu of flowers, the family suggests contributions to Henderson County Council on Aging Meals on Wheels program, 105 King Creek Blvd., Hendersonville, NC 28792.

An online register book is available for family and friends by visiting www.thosshepherd.com.

Thos. Shepherd & Son Funeral Directors and Cremation Memorial Center is in charge of arrangements.