Jerry Wayne Brown, of Nacogdoches, beloved husband, father, brother and grandfather was born on April 8, 1943 in Cleveland, Texas and passed away on Jan. 31, 2008 after open heart surgery in Houston, Texas. He was preceded in death by his parents, Jesse and Adele Brown. He is survived by his wife of 38 years, Marianne Brown; daughter Tracie Kimbro and husband, Don, of Beaumont, Texas; son Shayne Daigle of Huntsville, Texas; son Michael Maddox of Houston, Texas; sister Laverne Preston of Shepherd, Texas; and grandchildren, Layne and Casey Daigle of Huntsville, Texas and Ainsley Stuck of Beaumont, Texas.

Jerry graduated from Cleveland High School in 1961. He received his Bachelor of Music from Sam Houston State University in 1965 and a Master of Education from Stephen F. Austin State University in 1972. Jerry was a member of Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia Music Fraternity, Texas Music Educators Association, Texas Bandmasters Association and various other honorary music and education associations. He was also a charter member of the Texas Music Adjudicators Association. Jerry began his teaching career at Santa Fe Jr. High School where he taught for 1 year from 1965-66. His band received the Sweepstakes Award which is the highest honor for band performance given by the University Interscholastic League. Jerry was the Director of Bands at Kirby High School in Woodville, Texas from 1966 to 1976, where his bands achieved 11 consecutive Sweepstakes Awards by earning 1st Division Ratings in marching, concert and sight reading contest each of those 11 years. Jerry changed careers in 1976 and began working with HENCO as a professional fund raiser, where he continued to help groups raise money for their various endeavors until his retirement in the spring of 2004. Jerry won the Rookie of the Year Award in the spring of 1977. He also was the top selling representative in HENCO many times and was named Salesman of the Year with HENCO. He served as Regional Manager with HENCO while continuing his selling career, and had many of his coworkers earn the Rookie of the Year honor under his guidance. HENCO was bought by Cherrydale Farms in the 1990s, and Jerry continued to perform well, earning Top 20 recognition in the nationwide company each year until his retirement. He also won the Salesman of the Year honor from Cherrydale Farms. Jerry had a lasting influence on the people in his life. His family, friends, students, coworkers and customers all attest to the dynamic personality and thoughtfulness of expression that was Jerry Brown. He had the ability to take any problem, reduce it to the fundamentals and formulate a plan to fix whatever was wrong. One of his personal mottos was, "there are no problems, just solutions." He took a personal touch with everyone and was known for being just as concerned with a person's personal life as he was with their business life. As a teacher, Jerry had the highest of standards and would hold every individual to those standards. It did not matter what your production was as long as you were producing your best effort; anything less was not even considered an option. The Phi Mu Alpha Fraternity had a motto that Jerry also lived by: Results, Not Excuses! He will be remembered for inspiring a generation of band students in Woodville and being an inspiration to several generations of salesmen in the fund raising industry. The level of achievement his bands reached is not a common occurrence in any age, and his bands from the 1960s and 70s played with an intensity and maturity that stand the test of time even today. Many young band directors of the 80s, 90s and early 2000s benefited from Jerry's willingness to share his expertise, and copies of performances of his bands are coveted in many collections of former students and band directors all over the state. Graveside service was at 11 a.m. Feb. 4, 2008 at Sunset Memorial Gardens in Nacogdoches. Memorial service was at 2 p.m. at the Fredonia Hotel in Nacogdoches, Texas. Family requests remembrances be made to American Humane Society or the Nacogdoches Animal Shelter at 3211 SW Stallings Drive, Nacogdoches, TX 75964. A medical account has been set up to help defray the costs of medical treatment at First Bank and Trust, Attention: Tina Darby, PO Box 631111, Nacogdoches, TX 75963. Medical Account #: 501046200 - Please make checks to Marianne Brown - Medical Account.