Afe Allen Brown

Afe (Allen) Brown was born on September 15, 1926 in Fort Selkirk, Yukon to Afe and Leta Brown (nee Van Bibber). He was the eldest of two sons, his brother, John, being one year younger. Because Leta was a part of the Selkirk First Nation, she was encouraged to send her boys to residential school. She refused, and instead, taught them at home herself. In the winter, she would load up the boys on their dogsled and make the trek to Whitehorse to get their grades’ curriculums. It was a two-day trip to get there, and they would stay overnight at a cabin at the halfway point. Allen gave his life to the Lord as a young man. He attended Bible college, even taking a few semesters in Saskatchewan, before completing his studies at the Western Pentecostal Bible College in North Vancouver in 1967. While there, he met Ethel Nicholls. Ethel’s parents were cooks at the Bible college, and often they invited the students to their home to visit and watch television, which was not allowed at the college! During one of those visits, Ethel’s mom asked her to bake something for the visiting students. Apparently, her excellent baking and good looks caught Allen’s eye! The two were married on August 27, 1966 in White Rock. Allen and Ethel moved to Surrey, and there, their first son, Joel was born on October 12, 1967. Shortly thereafter, they moved to Kamloops, and their second son, Paul, was born on May 5, 1969. Less than a year later, Allen took a pastoring job in Maymont, SK, and the family moved out to the prairies. In the mid-1970’s, the family moved to the Battlefords, where Allen pastored at the Foursquare Church. On April 6, 1977, their third son, Peter, was born. Allen had a love of carpentry, and in the late 1970’s, he decided to leave the ministry and venture out on his own. He always had an entrepreneurial spirit, having spent some of his earlier years as a door-to-door salesman selling everything from Fuller Brushes to Amway. Using that self-motivated side, he started his own carpentry business. Later, he worked in residential construction for Gordon Hellofs, where he eventually retired. Allen passed away on April 15, 2021, in the Battlefords Union Hospital, at the age of 94. He was predeceased by his father, Afe Brown; mother, Leta Israel; stepfather, Walter Israel; and brother, John Brown. Left to cherish his memory are his loving wife of 54 years, Ethel Brown (nee Nicholls); son, Joel (Tammy) Brown; son, Paul (Michelle) Brown; son, Peter (Jaime) Brown; granddaughters Amy, Ashley, and Brittany Brown; Shayla and Alysha Peters; Joelle and Ireland Brown; and great-grandson, Nolan Peters; as well as many nieces and nephews, and a brother-in-law and sisters-in-law. Private Family Celebration of Life will be held on Thursday, April 22, 2021 from ‘The Garden Chapel’ with Pastor Casey Sitter officiating. Memorial donations are requested to The Gideons International In Canada, PO Box 3619, Guelph, ON  N1H 7A2. Arrangements have been entrusted to Robert MacKay of Eternal Memories Funeral Service & Crematorium (306-446-4200).

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