David L. Brown

David L. Brown

( April 4, 1926 - May 26, 2017 )

_{David L. Brown, 91, of Scranton died Friday evening at the Gino Merli Veterans Center in Scranton.}

_{Born in Scranton, he was the son of the late David and Margaret Morris Brown and grew up in Mt. Dewey .When he married Jeanette Saville, they lived on Newton Road, West Mountain, where they raised four children. David was employed at International Correspondence School for a short time before enlisting in the Army. He served his country overseas during World War II in Company A of the 187th Engineer Combat Battalion. He fought through France and into Germany in the Ardennes, Rhineland & Central European Campaign including the Battle of the Bulge. He was a demolitions expert and was sent ahead to disarm landmines & booby traps, & to build bridges and roads. Transporting troops across the Rhine and prisoners on the return trip, he was grazed by a bullet. He was one of the soldiers that entered the Buchenwald Concentration Camp.  After his service in WWII ended, he reenlisted to train soldiers in demolition during the Korean conflict. He appreciated military life, but his wife preferred living in Scranton, so he returned home. He retired from the Pope and Talbot Co in Ransom after 37 years. After the death of his beloved wife Janet in 1989, he married Emma Gene “Fritz” Ayers and moved to Florida for a wonderful second chapter.  He was active in the Shriners, participated as a drummer in the marching band and volunteered at the Children’s Hospital, fixing wheelchairs. He returned to school in Florida to earn his GED at age 74. He lost his dear Emma Gene in 2011 and returned again to West Mountain, coming full circle.}

_{David was a member of the Waverly Masonic Lodge #301, F&AM where he formerly served as Chaplain, the Irem Temple, where he played drums in the Shriner’s Marching Band, and was a member at the Abington Memorial VFW Post 7069. He also served as a special deputy sheriff for Lackawanna County.}

_{Surviving are two sons David J. Brown and his dear friend Mary Fives, West Mt.; and Bart Brown and his wife Evie, West Mt.; two daughters, Renée Emanuel and her husband Bill Teitsworth, Moscow; and Susan Ayers and her husband Wayne, West Mt.; three grandchildren, Samantha, Amanda, and Robert Brown; a great-grandson Fredrick Donald Brown; and several nieces and nephews. He is also survived by his beloved dog Ruby.}

_{He was preceded in death by a brother Clarence Brown and a sister Edith Morgan.}

Currently, I could use some help locating new information on the 187th ECB. If you have any information or photos, please contribute to the story of these men.

Contact us at the187thengcobn@aol.com

You can sign up for more information at https://187th-engineering-combat-battalion.ghost.io/ghost/#/site

Note. You can access past postings by clicking on the HOME icon. It will take you to the home page, where you can view past Articles.