Robert (Bob) Brown

Robert (Bob) Brown was born to Ruth Sanborn and Ernest Brown in Port Dover, Ontario on June 27th, 1934. The youngest of five siblings, he was a precocious and busy child. He couldn’t wait to get to work so he quit school in the 10th grade and joined a diamond drilling crew in the bush country near North Bay. He fell in love with the beautiful Charlotte DuFresne and they married when he was 21. They were a wonderful team in business and in life. Bob was a great father to his two children, Kent Brown and Bonnie Nageon de Lestang. When they were young he took the family camping in the summer and snowmobiling and tobogganing in the winter. He built ice rinks and kites – he put a lot of energy into making fun memories. As time went by, he instilled the importance of work ethic and taught them that the harder you work, the luckier you get! Through hard work and saving he was able to start his own business- Penn Oxygen in St. Catharines, Ontario. He added Jackson Safeguards, RC Products, and even had a stint as owner of the Shore Edge Motel in Boca Raton, Forida all before he turned 50. Bob and Charlotte retired along the St. Johns River where their house was known for hosting pancakes on the dock, boat rides to Silver Glenn and the best Spanish coffee in Florida! They were well travelled, regularly riding their motorcycle cross country to Maine for lobsters or driving down to Mexico for vacation. Robert was adored by his grandchildren: Kristin, Alex, Fae, Simone and Phil. He was a tireless pool buddy, diving coach, and investor in their education. Bompa was interested in their success and showed up for all the big milestones. His birthday was a highlight of the year, gathering the family for a great celebration somewhere on the water. On his birthday, he would give the kids incentives for doing well in school- he always encouraged them to succeed. By the end of his long life, he was also Great Grandfather to seven children: Kendall, Brecken, Parker, Juniper, Skylar, Magnolia and Benjamin. When asked what they should call him he said- call me Robert the Great and we couldn’t agree more! Robert is survived by his two children, eldest son Kent Brown and wife Anne of Umatilla and Bonnie and husband Joss (Nageon de Lestang) of Naples as well as their children and grandchildren. He will be dearly missed.

Robert (Bob) Brown

June 27, 1934 - September 6, 2026