CHARLES M. BROWN

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URBANA, Ill. — Charles M. Brown, age 90, of Urbana, passed away at 5:45 p.m. on June 1, 2018, in Spring Arbor, Michigan.

Charlie was born on Oct. 16, 1927, in Oswego, a son of Eugene and Marie Brown. Charles was the first person in his family to attend college when, at age 16, he enrolled in Clemson University. He played centerfield for the Clemson Tigers baseball team. His Clemson years were interrupted by two years of military service when he served in Korea. He graduated from Clemson in 1947 with a degree in agronomy and crop science. He received a scholarship to attend Wisconsin University and received his Ph.D. in agronomy from Wisconsin in 1953. Shortly thereafter, he took a position as an associate professor at the University of Illinois in the department of agronomy.

Charlie married Rosemary Pursel of Champaign, Illinois, on Aug. 10, 1957. Charlie worked his entire career in the Department of Agronomy at U of I. He eventually became the department head, but was best known for his work in breeding oat varieties. At one time, more than one-half of the oats grown in the world were varieties he developed.

Charlie retired from U of I in 1993 but continued to work in oat breeding as a consultant for Quaker Oats. In retirement, Charlie enjoyed playing golf and working as a ranger at the Orange and Blue golf courses at Savoy. Charlie was the proud owner of three holes-in-one in his lifetime. Charlie also loved to cheer for the Illini and the Cubs and he saw the Cubs win the World Series in 2016. Charlie was also a lifetime member of Elks Lodge 2497 in Savoy, Illinois.

Charlie was a longtime member of First United Methodist Church of Urbana and served there in many ways. Charlie loved his family and was a dedicated husband and father.

He is survived by his daughters, Sherry Porter (Gary) of Camargo, Illinois, and Christy Ellis (Brent) of Spring Arbor; and his son, Kevin Brown (Carol) of Hickory, North Carolina. He was the proud grandparent of eight, including Tim Porter (Nicole), Michelle Primmer (Jeff), Chad Porter (Melinda), Ryan Brown (Lauren), Amy Brown, Charlie, Lainey and Joey Ellis. He was also blessed with great-grandchildren, including Blake, Brady, Ramsey, Aiden, Dallas and Cadon. Also surviving Charlie are his brother, Melvin Brown of Sumter; and sister, Anne Partin of Charleston.

Charlie was preceded by a brother, Eugene C. Brown Jr.

Visitation will be held from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Friday at Morgan Memorial Home, 1304 Regency Drive West, Savoy, with a service at 1 p.m.

In lieu of flowers, please make donations to First United Methodist Church in Urbana or Spring Arbor University in Spring Arbor.

Condolences may be offered at www.morganmemorialhome.com.