OBITUARY: Gary Wayne Brown

Gary Wayne Brown, age 77, Navy veteran and retired registered nurse, of Gallatin, Tennessee, passed away peacefully in his home on November 28, 2025, just two days shy of his 77th birthday. He always said he wasn’t looking forward to getting older, so in classic Gary fashion he may have gotten the last laugh.

A Memorial Service will be held at 12:00 p.m. on Saturday, December 6, 2025, in the chapel of Sellars Family Heritage Funeral Home in Gallatin, with Pastor Brandon Sutton officiating and a special word by Pastor Mark Grubb. The family will receive friends and relatives at the funeral home on Saturday from 10:00 a.m. until the service begins at high noon – a fitting nod to Gary’s lifelong affection for John Wayne and all things western.

Born on November 30, 1948, Gary graduated from Connersville High School in 1966 and began work at Stants Manufacturing Company before answering a greater call. In 1968, he joined the United States Navy, proudly serving as a medic until 1972. His military service was among his greatest honors. He never tired of telling people how much he loved his country and how deeply he valued those who serve.

After returning home, Gary entered the nursing profession, pouring 26 years of compassion, steadiness, and skill into caring for others. He retired in 1996 from Reid Memorial Hospital in Richmond, Indiana, where he served as Director of the Operating Room, leading with the same integrity and grit he brought to every aspect of his life.

Later that same year, Gary moved to Tennessee to help his son launch Crossroads Moving Company, beginning yet another chapter of service and hard work.

After the start-up, he would go on to spend an additional 15 years at Ed Medical Supply in Hendersonville still helping people, still serving, still giving.

Gary was a faithful member of his church and joyfully volunteered in every way he could, from delivering blessing boxes to first responders, to helping with hero luncheons and like events, to quietly lending a hand wherever he was needed. His heart was tuned toward those who serve and those who have served, reflecting the heart of Christ, “who came not only to be served but to serve” (Mark 10:45). Grumpy disposition or not, Gary loved the Lord and he lived like it.

Gary was preceded in death by his parents, Harry and Mary Brown, his brother Arlie Bradburn, and his sisters, Helen Marcum and Janet Carlisle.

He is survived by his loving and devoted wife of 55 years, Debra Brown (who deserves a few paragraphs of her own which her humility will not allow), his son, Matt Brown (Beth), and two unofficially adopted sons, Spencer and Jacob Lucas, as well as a large extended family of nieces and nephews, cousins and friends, church family and adopted coworkers, and a collection of like-minded ornery folks whom he loved fiercely.

He loved each of you like his own. His own what? Only Gary knows. And he would likely tell you that the only way to find out now is to know Jesus as your personal Lord and Savior, so you can ask him yourself one day.

In Lieu of Flowers:

Gary wasn’t much for flowers, so the family requests that memorial contributions be made to the Bledsoe Baptist Association, P.O. Box 1207 Gallatin, TN 37066 in his honor.