Robert H. Brown Jr., 75, an APCO Life Member, and longtime employee of Motorola, died at 3:30 p.m. Sunday, April 7, at Lutheran General Hospital from massive injuries he sustained during a head-on car collision 10 days earlier less than a mile from home on his return from Good Friday services.

A resident of Palatine, Ill., Brown was the beloved husband of Mary (nee Dumanczuk); loving father of Jenny (Frank) Soehn and Steve (Renée) Brown; proud grandfather of Matthew, Michael and Ryan Soehn and Caroline, Aleksander, Georgia and Henry Brown; dear brother of Elizabeth Brown, Thomas Brown, Michael (Margaret) Brown and Margaret (Joseph) Smith; and fond uncle to many nieces and nephews. All immediate family members were at Bob’s side at the time of his passing.

Brown joined APCO International as a member of the Illinois Chapter on Jan. 1, 1981. He was awarded Life Membership, APCO’s highest honor, on Aug. 1, 2003.

Dave Weisz, who worked with Brown at Motorola, said, “Bob was extremely proud of his recognition as an APCO Life Member.”

Brown joined APCO’s Commercial Advisory Committee (CAC) in 1990 and chaired the committee from 1993–1995. He then served as the CAC representative to the APCO Executive Council for a number of years.

He took the commercial commitment to APCO very seriously. In an APCO BULLETIN article from July 1994, Brown wrote: “As corporate members, we have the responsibility to view APCO’s user requirements and to exercise the technical expertise and vision to foresee the FCC regulatory requirements of public safety, as well as system equipment and maintenance needs, while meeting those requirements on a cost-effective and timely basis.”

Brown was also active in recruiting members to APCO and the CAC. Current Commercial Advisory Council representative to the APCO Board of Directors Don Whitney says, “I knew Bob personally at Motorola and in his role as the CAC chair and CAC representative to the APCO Executive Council and on the APCO Exhibits Committee. Bob convinced me to join the CAC in 1993.”

Current CAC Chair Kevin Kearns says, “I remember Bob as an advocate for the customer having a prominent and meaningful role in Motorola’s long-term planning of products and services, and the mutual benefits that an active and engaged user community could bring to both the company and the customer.”

Arlene King, who worked with Bob for many years at Motorola said, “Bob meant a lot to many people here at Motorola – he was like an uncle, a family member, a mentor and very highly respected by all. You couldn’t find a person who was more dedicated to Motorola and, more importantly, to our customers.”

In addition, Brown was active in groups that allowed him to actively give back to his community. He was a member of the Knights of Columbus for 53 years and a Sir Knight for 45 years. He was a member of Holy Ghost Council #4977 and Bishop Sheil Assembly #2330. He exemplified the virtues of charity and service to others. For nearly 30 years he chaired or co-chaired the Intellectual Disabilities Drive at Holy Ghost Council. Under his leadership the drive grew to be one the best organized, most effective in Illinois.

For those in the Palatine area, a visitation is being held Thursday, April 11, from 3–9 p.m. The funeral is Friday, April 12, at 9:30 a.m. at the Smith-Corcoran Funeral Home. For details, visit the Smith-Corcoran Funeral Home website. http://www.smithcorcoran.com/obits/obituaries.php/obitID/402800/obit/Robert-H-Brown,-Jr

In lieu of flowers, the family has asked for memorials to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, PO Box 1000, Dept. 142, Memphis, TN 39148 or Priests for Life, PO Box 141172, Staten Island, NY 10314.

Brown will be greatly missed.