Ricky Sanford Brown was born October 25, 1947 in Corsicana, Texas. He was the 5th of 6 children born to parents Roy Peterkin Brown and Etta Trammel Brown. Ricky grew up in Powell, TX picking cotton and baling hay for spending money. A favorite childhood pastime was baseball- playing it, collecting baseball cards, and enjoying the great privilege of owning a radio on which he would listen to games with his little brother, Robby.

Ricky played baseball in school and graduated from Kerens High School in 1965. He went on to play baseball for Navarro Junior College. One of the many stories Ricky told of his youth was about being recruited for one of the New York Mets farm league teams, The Jacksonville Suns, the same year that the Mets signed Nolan Ryan. Family lore, repeated around many deer lease campfires, is that Grandmother Brown wouldn't hear of him leaving Texas so, instead of heading to the minor leagues, Ricky signed to play college baseball for The University of Texas. Unfortunately, a car accident at age 21 derailed those plans and he never played baseball again. He remained a baseball card collector and enthusiastic baseball fan his entire life and was proud to watch his Texas Rangers win the World Series during his lifetime.

Ricky married his wife, Phyllis, in 1974 and they raised their daughters Sharie and Shawna in Kerens, TX where, as a family, they lived and ran his hobby- turned- business, "Rick's Reload It Shop".

Ricky began his professional career at Chattanooga Glass Company, later to spend many years working as a boilermaker, job foreman, and then eventually a project manager for various industrial companies. His storied career eventually gave him the opportunity to work all over the world in such places as Canada, Mexico, Poland, Oman, Qatar, Spain, Indonesia, Switzerland, England and many other places.

An avid hunter and gun collector, Ricky hunted all over the country his whole life, even once traveling to South America to dove hunt with one of his grandsons. When not working or hunting you could usually find him sitting in his gun shop reloading ammunition or working on guns. Ricky also had a heart for children and spent some time volunteering to coach Kerens Little League baseball as well as an uncountable number of hours watching his grandchildren in their various sports endeavors.

Ricky passed away peacefully at his home in Kerens on November 8, 2023 surrounded by family and his beloved black Labrador. He is survived by his wife of almost 49 years, Phyllis Brown, daughter Sharie Brown Withers (Alex) of Tyler, daughter Shawna Brown Tucker (Bryan) of Brownsboro, grandchildren Allie Withers, Dillon Myrick (Ashley), Ricky Tucker, Scott Withers, Shyanne Jennings, Megan Withers, Taylor Tucker and Shayden Jennings (Hadley) and great grandchildren Katii Tucker, Kelli Tucker, Tatum Tucker, Mason Myrick, and Ryder Jennings. He is also survived by his brother, Donald Wayne Brown, sister Judy Brown Frey and brother Robby L. Brown (Nancy), brother-in-law Jerald Marcus Williams (Suzan) and numerous nieces and nephews. He is also survived by his "favorite daughter" and constant companion, Sassy, his old black lab who would go everywhere with him and will miss the cookies other treats that he often shared with her.

Ricky is predeceased by his parents, Roy and Etta Brown of Powell and his mother & father-in-law R.E. and Lillian Williams of Blooming Grove, sister, Melba Love of Powell and brother Roy Gene Brown of Canton. He was also predeceased by sisters-in-law Martha Brown, Ernestine Watts, and Jean Williams as well as brothers in law Edwin Watts and Kenneth Williams.

A visitation will be held at Paschal Funeral Home in Kerens Sunday, November 12th 4-6pm. Funeral services are scheduled for 11 am Monday November 13 at Paschal Funeral Home followed by burial in the Prairie Point Cemetery in Bazette, TX.

In lieu of flowers the family asks that the donations be made to one of Ricky's favorite causes:

- Kerens Little League Baseball Association, P. O. Box 31. Kerens, TX 75144

- St Judes Childrens Research Hospital Memorial Giving, 501 St. Jude Place, Memphis, TN 38105

- The National Rifle Association, 11250 Waples Mill Road, Fairfax, VA 22030