Jerry Wayne Brown

Jerry Wayne Brown, beloved husband, father, brother, grandfather, great-grandfather and friend, passed away after a long illness on Saturday, January 31, 2026. He was 86 years old. Jerry was born at home in Gladewater, Texas (Gregg County) to Elmer Fred Brown and Susie Leuzie (Davis) Brown on April 3, 1939. He was the eldest and was brother to three sisters: Deloris, Loy (Bernice) and Jeannette. He enjoyed music and played both the guitar (along with his dad) and the tuba (in high school marching band). He worked hard, like his parents, and even learned to be a butcher as a job during high school. He graduated from Rankin High School in Rankin, Texas in 1956. And it was in high school that he fell in love with the woman he would marry … Wylene Chesnut. Their families had known each other for a while and Jerry knew it was true love. However, there was one problem: she was already in a relationship with the captain of the football team. So, what was a smitten guy to do? One day, as Wylene was in a car with her friends, with the car window down, Jerry walked up to the car and tossed Wylene a charm bracelet with their name of their high school, “Rankin.” He said, “Here, I got this for you.” (Wylene never lost this charm bracelet and ultimately passed down to their daughter, Sheri.) However, it would be a few more years before he could win her over. Following graduation, Jerry went to work in Houston, dreaming of an engineering future. And while living in Houston, the Lord intervened: Wylene moved from Abilene to work in a law office in Houston and love blossomed. They married on August 19, 1960 in Odessa, Texas. Jerry, always a hard worker, took a job with Schlumberger, all the while supporting his young wife and the beginning of their family, as well as enrolling at the University of Houston. The first to come along was Bryan (born in 1961) and Jerry told stories of coming home from work and then studying into the late hours. He would be rocking little Bryan in his left arm while writing class notes with his right. Before long, another little boy was added to the family, Richard. Two energetic little ones who idolized their father and were always ready to help build something or be their daddy’s assistant. Jerry graduated from the University of Houston on January 30, 1965 with a Bachelor of Applied Science in Electrical Engineering. One of his favorite pictures is of him in his cap and gown with two little boys, in their “Sunday best” and bow ties, proudly standing beside him. Before too long, a girl was added to the clan, Dana, who he always called “his little lady.” And finally, his precious miracle, Sheri, completed the family. Two boys and two girls. Perfect balance for an engineer! Along the way, Jerry’s career grew. After Schlumberger (where he worked on the instrumentation for their first NMR downhole tool), he worked for Philco-Ford, where he worked with the instrumentation panel design team on the Apollo programs. Adding this experience, he moved to Metric Systems (Fort Walton Beach) where he worked on the instrumentation for satellite tracking systems. He joined Gulton Industries (Albuquerque) in 1970, where he worked on missile and satellite guidance systems (as a part of NASA). While loving this time in New Mexico, Jerry decided to stretch his engineering prowess and join Texas Instruments (Lubbock) in 1977 where he managed the production of IT’s first commercial digital calculator. Finally, in 1981, Jerry was offered the opportunity to become a part of the OPSEIS team and ultimately, the Director of the Experimental Geophysics Section in the Geoscience Branch of Phillips Petrolum, where he retired in 2001. But there was more to Jerry than just his brilliant engineering career. He loved the Lord with his whole heart and worked diligently both in the local church and in state ministries. He was Chairman of the Board for Mid-America University and held leadership positions in the churches where he served. He sang bass in the choir and was active in helping the church in any way he could. After he retired, Jerry didn’t slow down. He continued teaching in Bible studies and became a member of the hospital chaplain’s team at Jane Phillips Hospital (Bartlesville). And it is because of his great love for his Lord and Savior that those of us left behind grieve not for him, but for ourselves. For we know, as 2 Timothy 4:8 reminds us, that like Paul, Jerry had “fought the good fight, (he had) finished the race, (he had) kept the faith.” Jerry is preceded in death by his wife of almost 65 years, W. Wylene (Chesnut) Brown; his parents, Elmer F. and Susie L. Brown; his sister, Jeannette Brown; and his son, Richard W. Brown. He is survived by his sisters, Deloris A. Kirk (Clyde) and Loy Bernice Parry (John); his son, Bryan W. Brown (Kathy); his daughters Dana D. Stefanoff (Buddy) and Sheri L. Heatherly (Mark); grandchildren Amanda, Sarah Josh, Natalie, Warren, Perry, Matt, Garrett and Bailey; and great-grandchildren Grady, Emma, Aris, Brooklynn and Giavanna. There will be a funeral service for Jerry on Saturday, February 7, 2026 at 10am at the First Church of God, 222. S. Osage Avenue, Dewey, Oklahoma, with a viewing at 9am.

Jerry Wayne Brown

April 3, 1939 - January 31, 2026