Our favorite uncle Edward Cole “Shorty” Brown from Chinook, Washington passed away Dec. 18, 2021, in a Portland, Oregon hospital from complications of a stroke. He was 78.
Ed was born in Aberdeen, Washington to Clyde “Bus” and Charlene Brown, Oct. 30, 1943. His father “Bus” nicknamed him “Shorty.” Ed’s siblings are Linda Pirtilla-Nielson, Mark Brown and Sharon Brown.
Ed grew up in Cosmopolis and graduated from Aberdeen High School in 1962. After graduation he worked for the Cosmopolis Pulp Mill until he was drafted into the U.S. Army in 1965 during the Vietnam war. Shorty didn’t talk about his service time in Vietnam as it left him with horrible memories he never forgot.
After his return from the Army, Shorty became a jack of all trades. He worked in Alaska on the pipeline but he didn’t like the freezing weather and froze out, so he came back to Washington. He was a tuna fisherman, a worm farmer and eventually he was owner of Brown Construction in Chinook, Washington till his retirement. He also did work for the Seattle Space needle. He was most proud of having been involved in tying the structural rebar steel that went into the foundation of the Space Needle.
Ed married his first wife June, and they had two sons, David and Ed. The marriage ended in divorce.
He then met the love of his life Iris in Cosmopolis while she was attending college for nursing. They married and moved to Chinook where he currently resided. They both loved the outdoors mushrooming, hunting for elk and fishing, and the Chinook area offered all of that. His stepson Bert remarks that he never saw a guy who could catch fish so easy. It was like they jumped on his line. Ed especially looked forward to elk hunting with his nephew Tim who he loved as his own son. Shorty loved to tell stories of their hunting days, and he enjoyed the hunting guys and later their spouses that came to the hunting camp each year to hunt with them.
His beloved Iris passed away 12 years ago. Sons David and Ed along with Sharon, Mark, his stepson Paul, and both of his parents all preceded him in death.
Ed is survived by his sister, Linda, stepchildren Bert (Marietta) Bergman and Paula (Mike) Cochran, A nephew Tim (Beth) Medley, Grandchildren Otto, Sarah and Bert and seven great-grandchildren along with numerous nieces and nephews who all enjoyed his sense of humor. He also had a very close friend since grade school, Dave Keith.
Full military honor burial will be scheduled in the spring.
