J.B. Brown, Jr.

James Brown, Jr. went by many names, Downtown JB Brown, Captain Crunch, JB, and UNC.  He was born June 26, 1966 in Washington, DC. He passed away at his residence, where he lived with his father, James Brown, Sr, on Friday, September 25, 2020. He died of renal failure after a 26-year battle with dialysis due to kidney failure.   

JB is preceded in death by his beloved mother Shirley Williams Brown of Mitchellville, MD and his maternal grandmother, Josephine Coleman of Landover, MD.                                                       
He is survived by his sons: Dontae Beams of Bowling Green, KY and Lavell Chine of Adelaide Australia and a daughter, Kasey Blackford Goddard of Owensboro, KY. He is also survived by his father, James R. Brown, Sr. of Radcliff, KY, his brothers: Eric Brown (Maria) of Elizabethtown, KY, and Jeffrey Brown of Houston, TX as well as a sister, Robin Ayers of Bowling Green, KY. His nieces and nephews: Nicole, Natasha, Sara, Joseph, Perry, Eric, James, Clifford, and Tyrone along with so many others great nieces and nephews that are all so special to him. He had numerous adopted nieces and nephews that he loved and they will miss him dearly.

JB loved a round of 18 holes of golf daily with his father and other friends. His love for the game of basketball had him often in a gym being a mentor, leader, coach, role model, supporter and cheerleader to many young people, where you could hear him say:  “handle your business”.

He was a graduate of Fort Knox High School, KY, in 1984. There he participated in basketball and track. He was the state of KY high jump winner in 1984 with a record setting jump and that record still holds in class 1A to date. He attended Kentucky Wesleyan College on a basketball scholarship and graduated in 1988 with a degree in Art. He was a member of the team that won a National Championship under Coach Wayne Chapman. He was a two time All-American, and he was inducted into the Hall of Fame at Kentucky Wesleyan. After graduating from Kentucky Wesleyan, he became a member of the Harlem Globetrotters and continued to play the game he loved until 1995 when he was diagnosed with double kidney failure. Despite his battle with dialysis and other health issues, he continued to touch the lives of so many people of all ages. It did not matter where he went, someone always seemed to know him. He was a charismatic individual with a heart of gold.  He loved life, basketball, and giving advice. He was an advent fan of the Pittsburgh Steelers and his pride in his high school, and his college are evident in his artwork and collections.

JB loved life and his family. He was a big brother, a little brother, a son, a father, a role model, a mentor, a friend, and uncle to all kids that he met.

Visitation will be from 12:00 PM until 7:00 PM, Saturday at Chism Family Funeral Home, Vine Grove, KY.

Mr. Brown's service will be held at 7:00 PM, Saturday, October 3, 2020 at the chapel of Chism Family Funeral Home, Vine Grove, KY. Cremation will follow the service.

In lieu of flowers donations can be made through venmo@RobinBrown-Ayers or 3231 Cave Springs Avenue, #A, Bowling Green, KY 42104.                                                

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