Joseph R. "Joe" Brown W4Oxz

Candler - Joseph Randall Joe Brown, 82, of 6 Ola Drive died Sunday, May 28, 2006 at his home. A native of Buncombe County, he resided in Washington, NC for 29 years before returning to Buncombe County in 1989. He was a son of the late Harold Randall Brown and Ola McFee Brown and the husband of the late Marie West Brown. He was also preceded in death by a son, George Randall Brown and brother, Billy F. Brown. He retired in January 1988 from the U.S. Information Agency, the Voice of America Division in Greenville, NC. He had been an Amateur Radio Operator since 1949 with the call letters W4OXZ. He was also a life member of the Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers. He was a member of the Orr Masonic Lodge 104, Washington, NC and the Washington York Rite Bodies and the Sudan Temple Shrine, New Bern, NC. He was a veteran of World War II serving with the U.S. Merchant Marines and the U.S. Marine Corp. He was an active member of Pole Creek Baptist Church where served as a deacon and a trustee. Surviving are his sons, Richard Brown of Florida, Bob Brown of Williamston and Douglas Brown of Fayetteville; brother, Jimmy Brown of Candler; 2 granddaughters, Terri and Annie Beth; 2 grandsons, Jerry and Patrick and 4 great grandchildren. Funeral services will be held at 11:00 A.M. Thursday at Pole Creek Baptist Church with the Revs. G.W. Jameson and Dennis Thurman officiating. Burial will be in Snow Hill United Methodist Church Cemetery with military honors provided by the Buncombe County Veterans Council Memorial Team. The family will receive friends from 7 to 9:00 P.M. Wednesday at Anders-Rice Funeral Home. Memorials may be made to Pole Creek Baptist Church Building Fund, 96 Snow Hill Road, Candler, NC 28715 or to: Mt. Area Hospice, P.O. Box 25338, Asheville, NC 28813.