Billy Kendall Brown

Billy Kendall Brown, 78, passed away on October 18, 2022 in Gainesville, Texas.  Billy was preceded in death by his wife Tammy Sue (Grewing) Brown; his parents, Joe and Evelyn Brown; and sister Barbara Jo (Brown) Pierce.

Billy K. Brown was born in Gainesville, Texas on October 26, 1943 to Joe Wesley Brown and Evelyn Estelle (Wright) Brown.  He grew up in the Leo community and graduated from Era High School before completing an Associate’s Degree at Cooke County College.  Billy worked as a machinist in the Dallas area before moving his family back to Leo in 1971.

Once he was “home”, he was an entrepreneur, branching out into any type of business that he chose.  He owned and operated a dairy farm for many years then built a lucrative sand, gravel and backhoe business which became a real estate business.  His love of the outdoors and country life kept him busy hunting, trapping, raising farm animals, buying and selling cattle, farming for himself and anyone within driving distance of a tractor, harvesting pecans, and possibly his favorite business venture: designing and building cedar furniture.  In later years, he was an avid fisherman, a skilled purchaser of Texas Lottery scratch-offs, and (always) the kind of friend a fiend would like to have.

He is survived by his son Michael Brown and wife Bernie of Era; daughter, Lori Brown and husband Rick Rencher of Sherman; brother, Harold Brown and wife Margaret of Era; brother, Larry Brown and wife Betty of Slidell; six grandchildren and six great-grandchildren, and a host of nieces, nephews, cousins as well as a large community of friends and neighbors in the Nocona Hills community.

A memorial service is scheduled for 6:00 PM Thursday, October 27, 2022 at Geo. J. Carroll & Son Funeral Home Chapel.