Marvin Brown

Marvin Lacy Brown, 92, of St. Pauls, NC died May 14, 2020 in Braselton, GA. He was born in Robeson County December 24, 1927 to the late John and Nora McRainey Brown. A software development engineer by trade, he retired from NCR (National Cash Register). He was a veteran, serving honorably with the United States Navy. A man of faith, he was a member of St. Pauls Presbyterian Church.
Marvin was a former member of the Davis Bridge Aeromodelers. Fellow member and Marvin’s good friend, Tom Bennion, summed up Marvin’s life in recalling, “Marvin was in his late 70’s or early 80’s when he showed up at the club field and told me he wanted to learn to fly.  He told me he had spent a year building his first RC airplane, a Kadet Senior.  Marvin had found a set of plans for the Kadet, went to the hobby shop, bought a stack of balsa wood and built from the plans.  He was a true builder.  It took about 4-5 months of working with him but Marvin eventually was able to take off and land the plane. Marvin was a very interesting person to talk with.  He had an excellent mind and memory.  He lived in St Pauls, NC in a house built by his father. Marvin told me stories about going out into a field in front of his house and watching C-47’s towing gliders flying over as the troops at Ft Bragg were training for WWII.  He built his first color television from a Radio Shack Heath Kit. He competed in ballroom dancing competitions and in his spare time he built a kit car, a 1927 Bugatti which won First-In_Show at the 1987 S.A.M.A. Columbus Auto Show, Columbus, OH. Marvin was a good person and friend.”
In addition to his parents, John and Nora Brown, he was preceded in death by his wife Elma Birks Brown. He is survived by his children Mary Combs and Maggie Brown; stepchildren Ann Sullenberger and Rick Brooks; grandchildren Jared Combs, Justin Combs, and Jason Combs; great grandchildren Eliza Combs and Charlotte Combs; and sister Melba Crenshaw.
A graveside funeral service is scheduled for Tuesday May 19, 2020 at 3:00 pm at McRainey Cemetery on west McRainey Road in St. Pauls. Reverend PJ Southam will be officiating.
Arrangements by McNeill Mackie Funeral Home of St. Pauls.