Sam K. Brown

Sam K. Brown, 74, died peacefully at his home in East Moline, on Wednesday, March 18, 2020 after a short battle with kidney and liver failure. Sammie was a character throughout his entire life, best remembered for his penchant for life and his irreverence for anything politically correct. Sam had a gift of easily making conversation with both strangers and friends. He will live on in infamy for all that knew him during his memorable time on Earth.

A hospitality gathering to celebrate Sam’s life, complete with food and beverages, will be 1:00 to 4:00 p.m. Saturday, August 21, at CityView Celebrations at Trimble Pointe, 701 12th Street, Moline, with a time of sharing for family and friends at 2:00 p.m.

Sam was born December 12, 1945 in Lyons, Kansas, the only God given son of Sam and Anna Brown. He was raised in the Dayton Corners, Geneseo area and moved to East Moline in 1988. Although it was the right decision at the time, one of his regrets of life was that he dropped out of Geneseo High school because he thought he knew more than the teachers! He did get his GED with the highest score in Illinois and continued to be a life-long learner. After decades, he graduated from Black Hawk College with his AA, from St Ambrose University with a BA in Elected Studies and in 2001 with an MBA from St. Ambrose University.

Sam started working for John Deere in 1965 in the union and after a layoff which allowed him to golf every day, he was called back to Deere & Co. and ascended from a mail room clerk to Training Administrator where he traveled to all of the John Deere depots of the world and 28 countries teaching software skills and operational processes to other Deere employees. After 36 years, 2 months, 9 days, and 3 ½ hours, Sam retired from John Deere in December of 2001. One month later he started teaching part time for the College of Business at St Ambrose University which he thoroughly enjoyed when Days of our Lives was not being aired. However in later years, he stopped watching Days and switched to the Hallmark channel!

After 8 years of dating, Sam married Linda Carpenter Withrow on March 7, 1992 at the Chapel of Love in Las Vegas. Their wedding was attended by nearly 50 people and probably the largest wedding ever held in Vegas! It was definitely the most fun!

During his many travels because of work or with his wife Linda, around the globe, Sam would collect precious material for his story telling. Las Vegas and Daytona Beach were their home away from home and his favorite vacation ever was the annual family time at Ocean East Resort in Ormond Beach, Florida. Other than the USA, his favorite country was Germany because of the beer and the food! With his wife, he was able to climb part of the Great Wall of China, take a rickshaw ride thru Beijing and snorkel the Great Barrier Reef. He checked off one of the last bucket list items and went to the Daytona 500 race in 2019. The last item on his bucket list that he didn’t get to do was take his family to Ireland and England.

In his earlier years, Sam raced motorcycles and was a member and past president of the Tri City Motorcycle Club and earned the nickname TOTHM (Top of the hill man). He was very active in the Geneseo and Illinois State Jaycees and between these two organizations, he has ALOT of trophies and plaques! He was an avid runner and proudly ran 1000 miles a year and made many friends at the Moline YMCA.

Sam took solace in being an in-house consultant and expert on almost anything. Sam even had a stool named in his honor at the old Moline Governor’s that he would regularly be at any Friday night or to cheer for his beloved but, often disappointing Chicago Bears.

Sam will forever be remembered for speaking his mind to anyone, on any occasion, in any audience. Sam would utter things that most people would only think, but never say. A master of boldness, Sam wouldn’t hesitate putting his version of the truth out there for shock and awe. He loved to be the center of attention. You would often find him enjoying a cocktail, a cigarette and raucous conversation while holding court with anyone who would listen. Whenever he and Linda were in Vegas or Daytona you could always count on a good time being had by all in his presence.

Sam with all his antics will be sorely missed for his many stories (often repeated) of factual and often embellished renditions of times gone by. He also had a softer more caring side that would surprise you periodically when he would be more reflective and show a more empathetic Sam. Inspite of his larger than life personality, you could just as easily find him making Christmas ornaments for friends or tinkering with their Department 56 houses. He adored Linda, who was a supportive, caring and unconditional partner to Sam through thick and thin. His generosity was unbounded, especially with his children and grandchildren. Sam was a very giving soul.

Sam lived a rich yet, harried life to the very end. Like he used to brag about beating the odds in Vegas, he beat the odds by clinging to life and dodging death like no other cat alive. His penchant for life and all its richness found him cruising in the fast lane. He finally reached an exit ramp he couldn’t pass up.

Sam Brown will be forever missed for being the individual that he was but, NEVER forgotten for the unique and fun-loving person that he was to all that knew him. God Bless Sammie!
Survivors include his wife Linda Brown and former wife Sheryl Ryker. His daughter Kelly Madsen, and her husband Jeff and grand-daughters Hannah and Kiera and grandson Dylan. Daughter Wendy Clayton, and her husband Patrick and grandson, Connor.

A private memorial service will be celebrated at Trimble Funeral Home, in Moline, IL on Saturday, March 28th at 10 a.m. and burial will be at Greenview Memorial Gardens in Silvis, Il. However given the current health crisis we as a nation are facing, those wishing to participate can join the live broadcast of Sam’s funeral on his obituary page at www.TrimbleFuneralHomes.com and please wear a Hawaiian shirt to watch the service! When more than ten people can safely gather, the biggest party and celebration of life will be held at Trimble Pointe. Until then, we ask everyone who knew Sam, and those that did not, to take a moment to say a kind prayer for Sam as he enters his next journey.

Memorials may be made to Hope United Church of Christ, Moline, IL where he was a member or the ASPCA or the University of Iowa Stead Family Children’s Hospital.

You can view the full obituary and leave condolences at www.TrimbleFuneralHomes.com