CHARLIE BROWN, father of former St Johnstone chairman Geoff Brown, has died in Ninewells Hospital at the age of 95. His funeral was held on Friday at Perth Crematorium.
A long-time member of Perth Hunt and Perth Whist Club, Mr Brown was a former member of Strathmore Golf Club, which he joined in his eighties.
Born in Coupar Angus, he attended Kettins school and later followed his father into a family market garden business at Barnhill, off the Dundee Road in Perth.
A member of the Home Guard during the war years, he married wife Nan in 1942, with the reception held at the York House.
They brought up six of a family Geoff, Derek, twin sisters Kay, who passed away in 1985, and Pat, Charlie and Alan.
He became a driver with Kinnoull haulage firm Duncans to supplement the income from the near 10-acre fruit and vegetable market garden, delivering goods across the country.
The family recall he enjoyed an encyclopaedic memory for farm names and road routes from his time behind the wheel.
When his wife, Nan, died in 1989, Mr Brown had to adapt to a dramatic change of circumstances. He was old school and suddenly had to fend for himself.
He did just that and in his retirement enjoyed a new lease of life, working on a part-time basis at the Windsor in the centre of Perth, where he enjoyed meeting patrons and keeping the five bars well stocked.
Mr Brown was a keen fisherman and snooker player, he played indoor bowls at the Dewars Centre and for 20 years rarely missed a meeting of Perth Races. He attended the final meeting of last season with friends, despite his health beginning to fail.
He was also a well-known face at McDiarmid Park and when his eldest son rescued the club and paved the way to the Crieff Road stadium, he volunteered to man the door of the Premier Suite and it was a task he relished for the next two decades.
He loved his football and was a regular in directors’ boxes the length and breadth of Scotland. He followed Saints to Finland and Monaco for European ties and rarely missed a match.
The family also remember fondly his exploits on the golf course, having taken up the game belatedly at the age of 65.
A trophy-winning member of Perth Licensed Vics, he decided to become a member of a club for the first time at the age of 83.
Geoff Brown recalls: “Dad decided he fancied joining Strathmore because a few of the lads were playing there. He asked me to negotiate a deal with Pat Barron so I asked if they would waive the joining fee. As it transpired, Dad ended up playing three and more times a week with his cronies so he certainly got his money’s worth. He was still playing with his 90th birthday approaching.”
Mr Brown, who lived in St Madoes, was a grandfather of 17 and a great-grandfather.