September 15, 1938-April 30, 2019
On Tuesday, April 30, 2019, Olin Wheeler Brown, loving husband and father of two children, passed away peacefully at the age of 80. A memorial service will be held on Saturday, May 18 at Covenant Presbyterian Church, 220 Rock Prairie Rd., College Station, TX 77845 at 11:00 am.
Olin was born on September 15, 1938 in Dallas, TX, to Olin Sanders Brown and Ruby Jo (Wheeler) Brown. He grew up in Dallas and graduated from Woodrow Wilson High School in 1956. Olin attended Texas A&M, was a member of the class of ‘60 and received a degree in Industrial Education. He was a proud snare drummer in the Fightin’ Texas Aggie Band and served as Drum Major of the White Band. After graduation, Olin was commissioned as an officer in the United States Air Force, serving from 1961-1965. On April 14,1962, he married Sue Germany. Married for 57 years, Sue and Olin raised two children, Scott and Sara Lynn. His career was spent at Texaco as a sales engineer for the lubricants division where he was able to apply his unique talent for conversation for many years.
Olin had a passion for working with his hands. He was a master craftsman and designed and built countless kites, model airplanes and dollhouses for his children. It seemed as if there was nothing he did not know how to fix, whether it was meticulously repairing a piece of handcrafted doll furniture or rebuilding the engine of a Camaro. Olin was an Eagle Scout and spent years enjoying passing on the Scouting tradition. He, along with Sue, served as a Cub Scout and Webelo Den Leader for his son. After retirement, Olin spent many years as a merit badge counselor with his grandson’s troop, Boy Scout Troop 1222 mentoring numerous scouts in College Station. He was proud to pass on his Eagle Scout medal to his only grandson in 2017.
Olin truly never met a stranger, and he enjoyed conversation on every level. He loved a good prank, as was evident by his many stories from being an Aggie cadet. He was known for his quick wit, his infectious laugh, and his kind and compassionate spirit. He enjoyed his reunion work with his Woodrow Wilson Class of ’56 and also with the A&M Class of ’60, of whom he was proudest for their donations to the Association of Former Students’ Donors Fund – Aggie Rings for Veterans.
Olin was preceded in death by his father, Olin Sanders, his mother, Ruby Jo, and an infant older brother.
He is survived by his wife Sue, his two children and their spouses, Scott and Tracy Brown, and Sara Lynn and Matt Willis, granddaughters Reagan Brown and Lauren Willis, and grandson Brent Willis.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests that memorials be made to any one of the organizations dear to him: The Association of Former Students Donors Fund Aggie Rings for Veterans (designated specifically to the Class of ’60 fund), Boy Scout Troop 1222 in College Station, or Covenant Presbyterian Church.
Express condolences at CallawayJones.com
Sue,Scott and Sara,
So sorry to hear about your loss. Prayers for you all during this time.
Barbara and Fred Kristiansen
Dear Sue, Scott and Sara,
We are so sad to hear of Olin’s passing. We will remember the twinkle in his eye, his warm welcome to everyone at Covenant Presbyterian Church, his spirited oratory making even the most mundane topics, exciting, and his tireless service to the boy scouts. Our son Simon looked up to Olin as a role model. Olin’s tender patience and kind mentorship of young scouts impacted so, so many lives. What an amazing legacy he leaves.
Peace be with you at this difficult time,
Dorothy Shippen and Jeff Kapler
Prayers for your family . R.I.P. Olin…Just know you are in Heaven, laughing and teaching the youth about baseball and building tiny doll houses… I can only imagine the things you will be helping with. You will be missed by those that loved you and the lives you touched.. God needed another
Angel.. He only picks the best.. that you were …
R.I.P. friend Olin.
Sue, Scott and Sara,
I am so sorry and send prayers and my deepest sympathy to each of you and your extended family. Olin was a great guy, and I know he will be missed by family and many friends. I have so many great memories of our days spent at West End Little League. I know what you are going through, and with time your memories will become such treasures.
My friendship with Olin spans over 60 years. From the band at Woodrow Wilson High School then the Texas Aggie Band. Olin succeeded me as Drum major of the White Band at Aggieland and we maintained contact throughout the following years. An absolute gentleman and a devout Aggie and Christian. His life was an example for all of us to follow. God bless Olin Brown and I pray that God’s cloak of peace be cast over his entire family during this troubling time.
Dear Sue:
I am a member of the Woodrow Wilson class of 1959. I knew Olin when he was a student at A and M and I was a student at SMU. We dated off and on for a couple of years, drifted apart, and then he met you–the love of his life. Olin was so talented in many areas and a true gentleman, with a dynamite sense of humor. My thoughts and prayers are with you and your family.
Carla Pollard Bremer
To the entire family I pray God to give you Peace in your hearts and celebrate the good memories of Olin with each other. God Bless you all and know you have friends thinking of you and keeping you in prayer. Love Lisa Simpson.
As a co-worker at Texaco, I remember Olin as knowledgeable, super easy to work with and always helpful – loved visiting with him about a variety of topics. Truly one of the “good guys”.
Rest in Peace, Olin.
Sue, Scott and Sarah Lynn,
Olin was one of my favorite “sales engineers” with Texaco Lubricants Company. He came in with a smile on his face and most always something to say to keep us laughing. I’ve enjoyed swapping e-mails with him since retirement. What a shock to hear of his passing. Losing a good friend is a sad time. I send my deepest sympathy to each of you and the grandchildren.
I was part of Olin’s high school life, along with Bill Whitney and others, and was out of the country at his passing. I just want to say that his obituary is 100% correct and I can’t add much. He was one of the kindest men I ever met, without question. Even though I haven’t seen him in years I still have a good memory of his unselfishness and cheerful spirit. Please accept my condolences. My young life was enriched by his presence.
I worked with Olin when I started at Texaco in 1993 and for my first few months as a C&I sales representative I rode with Olin to ‘learn the ropes’. You couldn’t have a better person to learn from – I believe Olin was in his 50’s at this point, and he knew not to sweat the ‘small stuff’ and focus on what was important. I remember he kept a little notebook that had every sales contact, customer or non-customer in it, and the information he kept in the book was not the products they used or were interested in, rather their spouses name, kids names, where they went to school, what their hobbies were. I was never as organized as Olin in my time in sales but I tried to learn about my customers and prospects personal side because of Olin’s influence.
One story I still tell to this day – back during my early years at Texaco paperwork was still literally: paperwork. Every day or two you’d receive little brown ‘interoffice’ envelopes with numerous things to fill out, return, read, etc. Olin typically would open his, empty out the envelope and throw most of the items in the trash! When I asked him about maybe missing something important, he stated that his policy was that it was only important if it came back a third time!
Rest in peace – what a great legacy as a human being.