John Brown

Dr. John C. Brown, 97, passed peacefully surrounded by his family on December 17, 2023, at the home
of his son in St. George, Utah.

John was born March 27, 1926, in Cedar City, Utah, the first of ten children born to John Middleton Brown and Althea Lund Brown. He grew up on a farm in Hamilton’s Fort, Utah, where he learned to work hard, fix anything broken, and shoot accurately with a rifle.

As a teen, his family moved to Cedar City where he gained early employment running the movie projectors at both theaters. He was an exceptional student, also earning his pilot’s license and rebuilding a Model A Ford, while attending Cedar High School. Immediately upon graduation he entered the Navy where he worked on top-secret radar projects.

Following the end of WWII, he served a proselyting mission in the Eastern States Mission, developing a strong knowledge and testimony of the Gospel of Jesus Christ which grew stronger throughout his life.

After his mission, he noticed a beautiful blond in a red dress, Mary Morris. They dated during her senior year of HS and were married May 20, 1950, in the St. George Temple. They both attended Branch Agricultural College (now SUU) where he graduated as valedictorian in 1951.

John held multiple jobs to support his growing family. In 1957, at the age of 31, he moved the family to Torrance, CA so that he could attend the University of Southern California Dental School (USC). He was also valedictorian of his dental class in 1961, earning his Doctor of Dental Surgery along with multiple awards for clinical and academic excellence.

The family then took up residence in Claremont, CA where John established a successful, quality dental practice. During his career he taught part-time at USC and devoted service and leadership to many dental associations on the local, state, and national level. He ultimately served from 1988-1989 as national President of the Academy of General Dentistry representing 40,000 dentists. Along the way, he was inducted into numerous honorary dental societies recognizing his excellence in leadership and clinical skills. He was instrumental in the formation of The Dentists Insurance Company, which has been rated by AM Best as excellent for 29 years.

John enjoyed fishing, hunting squirrels, writing letters to the editor of the local newspaper, do-it-yourself projects, continuing education, and world-wide adventures. As a couple, John and Mary visited 49 of 50 states and every continent except Antarctica. He earned his instrument and commercial ratings and flew his beloved Piper Cherokee-Six (N4069W) throughout the US, Canada, and Mexico.

Service was the hallmark of John’s life, whether it was free dental care to those in need, Kiwanis club activities or, most notably, leadership through his membership in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. It was serving as a home-teacher where he had an incredible impact for good.

Dr. Brown is survived by his three children: Conard “Lee” (Aneta) Kansas City, MO; Douglas (Sharon) St.
George, Ut; and Carol Davis (Steven) Henderson, NV; his siblings: David Brown, Lorin Brown, Virginia Cate, and Cheryl Mitchell; 15 grandchildren and 51 great-grandchildren.

He was preceded in passing by his beloved wife, Mary, his parents, John and Althea Brown; his siblings,
Richard “Tom”, Doris Cannon, Donna Homer, William “Bill”, and Scott.

Funeral services will be held on Saturday, January 13, in the Sun River 3rd Ward chapel located at 1483
Angel Arch Dr, St. George, UT. There will be a viewing from 9:30-10:30am with the funeral starting at 11:00am. Interment will be held at 3:00pm at the Cedar City Cemetery under the direction of Southern Utah Mortuary. Livestream of the services may be viewed, and online condolences may be left at www.mortuary.org.