Obituary of William L. Brown

William L. "Uncle Bud" Brown, Jr., 79 of Northampton Road Amsterdam, passed away Monday evening at SMH in Amsterdam, after a short illness. Born November 15, 1929 in Amsterdam, NY, he was the son of the late William L. and Gertrude Wood Brown, Sr. He was a graduate of the Wilbur H. Lynch High School and was a lifelong Amsterdam resident. Mr. Brown was a U.S. Air Force Veteran of the Korean War. He was first employed by the General Electric Company in Schenectady for a number of years, he later served as a deputy sheriff of Montgomery County, retiring after 20 years of service. Mr. Brown was a member of the Amsterdam Lodge #84 F & AM and served as Master in 1979. He also volunteered for GAVAC for a number of years. He loved playing poker, pinochle, doing crossword puzzles and spending time with his family and friends. On July 29, 1972 he married the former M. Lucille Payett who passed away July 30, 2005. He was also predeceased by his son Ricky Brown. Survivors include two sons Brian Brown and Gary Brown; two step-sons John Van Arnum of Tampa, FL and Howard C. "Skip" Van Arnum of Middletown, MD; a step-daughter Alice K. Hartmann of Ohio; two sisters Florence Dodge and Matilda George of Amsterdam; a special granddaughter Jennifer, her husband Jim and children Jamie and Ally; and his loving cousins the Kreisel family; several grandchildren, great grandchildren, nieces, nephews and cousins. Funeral services will be held on Friday, June 12, 2009 at 11am at the Betz, Rossi & Bellinger Family Funeral Home, 171 Guy Park Avenue, Amsterdam, NY. Burial will take place in Fairview Cemetery with full military honors. Calling hours will be held Thursday 4 to 7 PM at the funeral home, the Masons will have a service at 6pm. Memorial contributions may be made in his memory to GAVAC, P.O. Box 11, Amsterdam, NY 12010.