James D. Brown, 76
PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Retired North Adams firefighter Lt. James Dexter Brown, 76, of 77 Onota St., formerly of 530 Tunnel Road, Rowe, died Friday, Nov. 9, 2012, at Berkshire Medical Center. Mr. Brown was a longtime and current member of the North Adams Retirement Board, being elected in 1976 and serving as chairman for 32 years.
Born in North Adams on Jan. 20, 1936, son of William and Myrtle Estes Brown, he attended schools in Amherst, including Amherst High School.
An Army veteran, he enlisted during the Korean War, serving from 1953 and until June 1956.
Mr. Brown joined the North Adams Fire Department in 1959 and served for 30 years, retiring as a lieutenant.
He was elected in 1968 as the first president of Local 1781 FFACCO, AFL-CIO, serving for 12 years and was a member of the negotiating committee for 23 years. In 2011, he received the Public Service Award from the Massachusetts Retirement Board and, in 1980, was named North Adams Firefighter of the Year.
He was a communicant of the former St. Francis of Assisi Church. He was an avid fan of the Boston Red Sox, New England Patriots, and the Boston Celtics.
His wife, the former Nancy A. Bullett, whom he married on Jan. 24, 1980, died on Sept. 21, 2009.
He leaves two daughters, Sandra Lloyd and her husband, John, of North Adams and Jamie O'Dell and her husband, Stephen, of Lee; two stepchildren, Richard Sherry of Apopka, Fla., and Stephanie Geibner and her husband, Mark, of Ludlow; a sister, Marlene Miller and her husband, Norman, of North Adams; 11 grandchildren, including his two special granddaughters Chloe and Camryn O'Dell; a great-grandchild, many nieces and nephews, and his beloved dogs, Bella, Blackie and Brownie.
Five sisters and one brother are deceased.
FUNERAL NOTICE — The funeral for Mr. Brown will be Wednesday, Nov. 14, at 10:15 a.m. from Flynn & Dagnoli-Montagna Home for Funerals, West Chapels, 521 West Main St., North Adams, followed by a Funeral Mass at 11 at St. Elizabeth of Hungary Church. Burial will follow in Southview Cemetery.
Calling hours will be Tuesday, Nov. 14, from 4 to 7 p.m. at the funeral home. Memorial contributions may be made to the Eleanor Sonsini Animal Shelter in care of the funeral home.