Lecil Brown

As a young boy, Lecil moved with his parents and his brother, Lynn, to a farm near Letona, Arkansas, where he grew up. Lecil joined the Merchant Marines during World War II and made several trips to Europe and Asia. After the war, he attended Bethany-Peniel College (now Southern Nazarene University). While in college, he met Glorene Faye Watt; they married in August 1951 and graduated together in May 1952. For the next eight years, they lived in Wichita, Kansas, where their four children were born. While in Wichita, they attended 1st Church of the Nazarene; Lecil worked at Wichita State Bank and earned an M.A. degree from Wichita State University in 1955. Lecil and his family moved to Lakeland, Florida, in 1960, where he worked at Peoples Bank and was an active member of South Florida Heights Church of the Nazarene (now Highland Park), where he served on the church board and as treasurer. He earned degrees from the Florida Bankers Trust School at the University of Florida and the National Trust School at Northwestern University. In 1978, Lecil and Glorene moved back to Bethany, Oklahoma, where they attended Bethany 1st Nazarene Church (BFC); Lecil worked as Director of Planned Giving at Southern Nazarene University. After retirement, Lecil enjoyed many activities such as traveling with Glorene, doing genealogy, driving cars for several car dealerships, and meeting with his coffee buddies most mornings at BFC. He was known for giving them daily history lessons. In October 2012, he delighted in going on one of the Honor Flights to Washington, D.C.