Arlen J. Brown
Arlen J. Brown, owner of The Springs Funeral Services in Colorado Springs, died at his home surrounded by his family October 6, 2018.
Arlen was born March 27, 1935 in Fairview, Oklahoma the son of Paul and Nela (Waddle) Brown. He moved to Colorado Springs with his parents in 1941 at the age of six. He attended elementary school in Colorado Springs, Jr. High and High School at Friends Haviland Academy in Haviland, Kansas, graduating in 1953. He continued his studies at Friends Bible College also in Haviland.
He excelled in tennis, baseball and basketball in high school. He loved to sing and perform including community theatre, citywide hymn singing, church music at Roswell Community Church, and others. He enjoyed breeding and raising Appaloosas and Quarter Horses, being an avid reader, and Rotarian.
Arlen was a Funeral Director for over fifty years and was an owner of The Springs Funeral Services.
He served his funeral apprenticeship at Chapel of Memories and Swan Funeral Home in Colorado Springs, before graduating from Dallas Institute of Funeral Service in 1960.
Arlen was General Manager of Swan Funeral Home for fifteen years and in 1972 he bought Farnum-Brown Mortuary in Glenwood Springs, spending five years there. After selling the funeral home, Arlen worked for Service Corporation International for twenty years. During his career with them he became a Regional Vice President and lived in Spokane, Houston, Atlanta, Tucson and San Jose. After retiring for the first time, he became Chief Operation Officer of Sentry Group Services out of Ft. Worth, Texas, and in 2007 co-founded The Springs Funeral Services.
In 2011 he served as President of the Colorado Funeral Directors Association and was presented with the Mentor Award from the Colorado Funeral Service Board.
In 1993 he met Terri in Tucson, Arizona and five years later they married in Manitou Springs, Colorado. In marrying Terri, Arlen took on a young family becoming a father for a second time. During the next twenty years he became the glue of the family. A true soccer dad, he was there shouting from the sidelines and occasionally being thrown out. He loved both of his families with a passion. His charm and kindness made him someone that everyone loved. He was the person that we all looked up to and aspired to be like. Our world will never be the same without his radiant smile, love and guidance.
He leaves behind to remember him, his wife, Terri Flores-Brown; daughters, Cindy (Hal) Tumbleson, Becky (Ron) Helget, Jenifer (Wes) Parr, Samantha Shafer (Chris Parrinello), and Shelby (Alex) Calleja; sons, J. Timothy Brown and Jared N. Shafer; grandchildren, Heather (Chris) Nordby, Geoff Brown, Craig Brown, Chris (Jenny) Brown, Aaron (Alicia) Brown, Drew Brown, Jenifer (Nico) Casale, Karissa (Lex) Sanchez, Hayden Parr, Trent Parr, Ashlyn Parr; and ten great-grandchildren.
He is also survived by his parents-in-law, Richard and Irma Flores; sisters-in-law, Norma (Martin) Camacho and Lisa Davis-Flores; brother-in-law, Frank Flores; nieces, Celina and Juliana Provencio; nephew, Dominic Camacho; and his “brothers”, cousins, CA (Jo) Cofer and Tommy (Pat) Padgham.
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