Matthew Harrison Brown, 49, of Cleveland, TN died unexpectedly Sunday, August 12, 2018 from an apparent heart attack. Matthew relished learning, teaching and coaching but most of all was a committed, devoted and loving husband to his wife, Tara, and father to his three sons.
Matthew was born July 26, 1969, a day that he enjoyed celebrating on Parksville Lake, one of his favorite places. His parents were K. Harrison and Barbara K. Brown, also residents of Cleveland. He earned the rank of Eagle with Troop 10 as a member of the Order of the Arrow in 1983 when he was 13. His dedication to Scouts was passed on to his three boys, with one already having earned the rank of Eagle and two others on their way. He was a 1987 graduate of Baylor School in Chattanooga, TN where he was a four-year boarding student. During his time at Baylor he was on both the football and wrestling teams. After Baylor Matthew enrolled at Georgia Institute of Technology, where he graduated in 1991 with a B.S. in Industrial Management. At Georgia Tech Matthew was a member of Sigma Alpha Epsilon Fraternity.
Following graduation from Georgia Tech Matthew returned to Cleveland and accepted employment at Brown Stove Works, Inc. where he worked with his father and several other family members. During his tenure at Brown Stove Works Matthew held various positions with the company culminating in his most recent role as President. While working at Brown Stove Works Matthew attended business school at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga and graduated in 1998 with an MBA.
Matthew married Tara Watson in 1997 and the two loved traveling, collecting art and spending time with friends and family at the lake together.
Matthew was committed to his community. He was a Bradley County Commissioner from 1998 to 2006 and served as the Finance Chairman from 1999 to 2004 and again from 2005 to 2006. Matthew was the President of the Cleveland Rotary Club from 2002 to 2003, was honored as the Rotarian of the Year in 2013, and served on the board of the Cleveland Rotary Foundation. He was also on the Executive Board of the Cherokee Area Council of the Boy Scouts of America. Additionally, he was the first Chairman of the Board of the Cleveland/Bradley County Greenway from 2004 to 2006 and continued to serve on the board. Matthew was a past board member of the Cleveland Family YMCA and was on the Baylor School Alumni Board.
Matthew loved coaching youth sports and coached all of his sons along with many other boys. He coached both football and basketball and for 6 years he was the basketball coach for the Arnold Mustangs. A highlight of this time was when the Mustangs won the championship for the Bradley County Recreation League.
He is survived by his wife Tara Watson Brown; his sons Grover Harrison Brown, Watson Benjamin Brown, and Matthew Ash Brown; his parents Barbara and Harrison Brown of Cleveland; his sister Louise Brown Harbison and husband, Chris, of Cleveland; his aunt Rachel Savage; his mother-in-law Linda Waller Watson of Cleveland; his brother-in-law John Steen Watson and wife, Courtney, of Chattanooga; and several nephews, a niece and numerous cousins.
A funeral service will be officiated by Rev. Micah Nicolaus and held at 4 p.m. on Friday, August 17, 2018 at Broad Street United Methodist Church where Matthew was a member and worshipped with his family. The family will receive friends after the funeral service at the Museum Center at 5ive Points until 7 p.m.
Memorial donations may be made to Troop 10 Memorial Fund ? Broad Street United Methodist Church, 155 Central Ave NW, Cleveland, TN 37311 or Cleveland Rotary Foundation, PO Box 2561, Cleveland, TN 37320.
Ralph Buckner Funeral Home and Crematory is in charge of the arrangements.
We invite you to send a message of condolence and view the Brown family guestbook at www.ralphbuckner.com
Friday, August 17, 2018
Starts at 4:00 pm (Eastern time)
Broad Street United Methodist Church
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