Obituary for Earl C. Brown

Earl Coleman Brown, age 89, of Yakima, passed away on April 10, 2026 after a

decade-long battle with Alzheimer’s disease.

Earl was born on November 14, 1936 in Clinton, Arkansas to Cleo and Wilma Brown. In

the 1940’s, his family moved to Central Washington. After graduating from Highland

High School in 1956, Earl attended USMC basic training and joined the USMC

Reserves.

In 1957, Earl met Carolyn Jean Watson, who was working as a waitress at his

grandmother’s restaurant near Naches, Washington. Earl and Carolyn married in 1958

and raised three rambunctious boys: Michael, Bryan, and Alan. Those who knew Earl

best, saw the steady way he showed up for his family, the quiet strength that defined

him for a lifetime.

Earl began his professional life in 1959 as a member of a slash piling crew in the

Naches Ranger District. From 1965 through 1968, he worked as a timber cruiser for

Boise Cascade. In all, Earl devoted 33 years to the Forest Service, serving in roles that

included marking/cruising timber, working on telephone lines, trail crew member,

thinning crew, foreman of campground crew, putting up lookout structures, engineering

slope and staking crew, timber sale planner and administration, and at the end of his

career, working in Silviculture. He worked at both the Tieton and Naches Ranger

Districts. During his career he worked on 125 major forest fires as a line crew member

and served as Safety Officer of Class II Fire Teams.

Earl received 17 awards during his service. One in particular, the 1st Stewardship for

Land award given on behalf of the Wenatchee National Forest, reflected what friends

and family already knew: Earl cared deeply for the land and how it was managed. He

believed in the Forest Service mission, and he carried that same sense of stewardship

into his everyday life—caring for and serving people, whether they were friends, family,

or members of the community.

A talented artist, Earl painted hundreds of oil paintings inspired by the sights and forest

critters he encountered during work days and the hours he spent hunting in the woods.

He first “dabbled” in painting eight years before retirement, then took it seriously and

produced hundreds of pieces, including oil paintings, pen and ink drawings, holiday

ornaments, and other things that interested him. Near the end of his painting career,

Carolyn was able to convince him to add wildflowers or cherry blossoms to some

paintings, lovingly coined by Earl as “girl paintings.”

In a way that perfectly matched his generous nature, Earl loved gifting his work and

never sold a single painting in his life. His work was exhibited in the “Windows of the

Past” exhibit at the Yakima Valley Museum in the early 1990s. His paintings and

drawings still adorn several friends and family member’s homes. A collection of his

Forest Service lookout drawings remains on display in the Naches Ranger District

office, and his artwork can still be seen adorning visitor signage up the Little Naches to

this day.

Earl was the ultimate family man—a wonderful husband, father, brother, grandfather,

and great grandfather. He provided for his family in every sense of the word, and as an

accomplished hunter he kept them fed with venison and elk meat. Earl was also kind,

gentle, and one of the best story tellers of all time. He could spin a tale from his time in

the woods, or from moments shared with friends and family, and he carried a sly,

mischievous side that made time with him equal parts special and entertaining. His

close friends and family will always remember the many camping, fishing, and hunting

trips over the years, and the steady love he gave so freely to “his people.”

When asked the secret to a long and happy marriage, Earl often responded, “Just say

yes,” or “Carolyn is always right.” Everyone around Earl and Carolyn could see that their

love and devotion to each other was his greatest life achievement.

Earl is preceded in death by mother Wilma Brown, father Cleo Brown, stepmother

LaVerne Brown, brother John Brown, sister Jeannette Olson, and his beloved German

Shorthair, Rosie. He is survived by his sons, Michael (Mary) Brown, Bryan (Debbie)

Brown, Alan Brown, grandchildren Danny (Kristen) Brown of Yakima, Lindsay Grams of

Selah, and Matt (Amanda) Brown of Yakima, sister Barbara Nichols of Yakima, brother

David Brown of Yakima, and several great grandchildren and nieces and nephews.

The family would like to thank the staff members from Garden Village and MultiCare

Home Health and Hospice for their care and compassion for our beloved family

member, Earl Brown.

A celebration of life will be held on Saturday, May 2, 2026 at 11:00am at Valley Hills

Funeral Home.