Ted Howard Brown, 83, of North Platte, NE was born to George (Bus) Brown and Vivian Brown (Wilson) on December 20, 1941, in North Platte, NE. Ted was a 1960 graduate of North Platte High School. After graduation, Ted was immensely proud to serve his country and enlisted in the US Navy where he served as a Sonar Technician Surface (STG) on the USS Harry E. Hubbard battleship. After his military service, Ted settled in North Platte, NE where he began working at Tom and Jim’s gas station, where he met Mary (Monte) Montgomery of Chappell, NE. They were married on October 27, 1963, at the First Christian Church and celebrated their 61st anniversary last year. Together, they purchased the Conoco Service Station on the corner of Fourth and Jeffers from Layne Young, where Ted spent many hours working on his stock car that he raced on weekends. Ted was then hired by the Union Pacific Railroad as a special agent and later was promoted to locomotive engineer where he served the Cheyenne Wyoming route for 34 years. During his tenure, Ted competed and was selected to sing in a national TV commercial for the Union Pacific Railroad. Ted sang “We’re a great big rolling railroad” from the front of Union Pacific locomotive and received one dollar for his talented rendition. Ted retired at the age of sixty and started to carve intricate train models like the ones he had operated during his career. Ted was also an avid deep-sea fisherman. Along with his cousin, Joe Ward, they fished in the Port O’Conner, Texas waters for over 30 years. Ted currently holds the record for the largest sheepshead fish caught in Port O’Connor.
Ted was preceded in death by his parents, George (Bus) and Vivian Brown, son Bence Allen Brown, brother Bence Brown, Sr., and sister-in-law Phyllis Brown. Survivors include his wife Mary Brown, daughter Kristie Brown (Carter Lake, IA), son and daughter-in-law Rex and Sharon Brown (Port Charlotte, FL), grandson Bence D. Brown (Omaha, NE), granddaughter Grace Brown (Port Charlotte, FL), brother and sister-in-law Clark and Dorothy Brown (North Platte, NE), and numerous nieces, nephews, friends, and neighbors.