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Brown -- John D. "Bud" Brown, 81, a lifelong resident of New Mexico left this life to enter eternal rest on September 30, 2001. He was one of ten children born to George and Annie Brown. He was a decorated WWII Veteran, who served as a Crew Chief and mechanic on a B-24 in Italy and North Africa. After the war, he returned to New Mexico and was employed by Mountain States Telephone Company for 32 years. He began as a lineman for the company, and he and his crews were responsible for placing many of the existing ground structure we still use. John was always eager to share a joke and start a conversation. It was difficult to be a stranger with him. He was a wonderful storyteller, and he often shared many tales of the mountains and its creatures. John knew them so well, because his childhood was spent in the Sacramento Mountains. His hunting partner and son, Jerry, always accompanied him on hunting trips, and enjoyed hearing the old stories about his life and growing up on the family ranch. People often remarked that he should have written a book because he had such a way of portraying his life's childhood events. He could name every canyon and creek near Brown Canyon, which was the family homestead and was named for his father, George Brown. To this day, there are remnants of the homestead, in the form of rock piles. These rocks were cleared by hand from the area used for a garden, and there are still small piles of them in the open meadows. Patches of wild rhubarb can still be found in several areas that were cultivated on their ranchland. He was an avid hunter, fisherman, and he loved the wilderness. Later in his life, he panned for gold in Alaska, for about three months with his beloved brother, "Top." They shared many adventures, and these served to widen his repertoire of lore. His cherished sister, Opal, and he explored the hills of Kentucky looking for old gravestones and further clues about the origination of Annie Williams, their mother. They encountered hot muggy weather, thorns, and a copperhead snake. Opal continued to research and discovered that Scotland was their mother's ancestral home. He was a picture-carrying grandparent, who often boasted about his two grandchildren, Steven and Stephanie Brown. His daughter, Linda, shared his love of nature and stories; she became an English teacher and avid gardener. John was known to gladly share his handicapping skills with his fellow horseracing fans, and he often spent time playing the slots with his best friend and closest companion, Faye Young. They could dance long after many younger people sat down. He is survived by his daughter, Linda and her husband, Ibrahim Gundiler of Socorro, NM; his son, Jerry Brown, of Littleton, CO; grandchildren, Steven and Stephanie Brown; daughter-in-law, Lori Brown also of Littleton, CO; his sister, Opal Mack of Sun City, AZ, and her children"Cha Cha" of Alaska, and Billy Mack of Almagordo, NM; his brother, Shorty Brown of Alamagordo, NM, Don Reese "Buttons" of Tijeras, NM, and his companion, Faye Young of Albuquerque, NM, as well as numerous other nieces, nephews, and cousins. Memorial Services will be held at the Aspen Funeral Home located at 1935 Juan Tabo NE, at 10:00 a.m. Thursday, October 4, 2001.
        Published on: Wed October 03, 2001