Kenneth Brownlie

KENNETH R. BROWNLIE, aged 68 years, passed away April 28, 2024. Beloved husband of the late Jeanne (nee Stewart), dear father of Trevor and Rachael, devoted son of the late Raymond and June (nee Meserlin), loving brother of Barry (Lana) and Craig (Suzanne), cherished uncle to Matthew, Maggie and Aaron, fond brother-in-law to Marylee Houston (Robert) and Thom Stewart (Cathy). 

Born in September so he could watch the 1955 World Series, Ken rooted for the Yankees, which prepared him for a long spell as a Cleveland Indians fan. He arrived a day late anyway with the Yankees already ahead by one game. The Yankees also won on the day of Ken's birth. After that, things grew difficult for the Bronx Bombers. Ken however thrived on the ballfield. As a lefty pitcher, he developed multiple curve balls for Little League before deciding that all the fun happened at the other end of the pitcher-batter equation. Stints in college ball and the lower minor leagues proved short-lived as Ken carried strong opinions about baseball. Looking back now at that Yankees team which provided Ken's astrological sign, it's easy to see that his spirit animal may well have manifested as a young, scrappy Billy Martin. Mellowing (because really what choice did he have after meeting the love of his life, Jeanne Stewart, while selling her a taco at the Taco Bell?), Ken changed course and leapt into the burgeoning life of an IT troubadour. Who says those fast food uniforms weren't dashing? Honestly, everyone except Jeanne. They married and had children, as was their wont- Trevor then Rachael arrived. 

Ken became an audiophile, a baseball coach, a long-distance commuter, and the kind of father who took his children on long car rides to the mall to run around in winter and to the batting range in summer. Did Ken require a lot of vitamins? Yes, he did. He drifted through the Men's Health phase into vegetarianism because he wanted to stick around. Now might be the time to mention that losing Jeanne 25 years ago was a lot, especially with two teenagers at home. He knew others had made it through such a horrible loss, but one person's roadmap does not work for everyone. After a few side trips, Ken found his way back on the ballfield. For a number of years, he coached Rachael on her softball teams. When she moved on to other pursuits, he coached a men's softball team which included his son, Trevor.

When Ken's body decided he should slow down, he became a hiker of hill, dale, and shopping center. Unfortunately, cancer sunk its claws into Ken soon after. Ken kept hiking, sometimes hauling that dayglo, noisy chemo bag for 6,000 steps in the woods. They told him he faced a three and two count, but he kept fouling off fastballs because those Yankees, way back in '55, did push the series all the way to seven games with Dem Bums. 

In lieu of flowers, contributions in memory of Ken suggested to The Sarcoma Foundation of America at www.curesarcoma.org. 

Funeral Friday, May 3, 2024, at the funeral home at 6 PM. Private burial in Forest Lawn Cemetery (Youngstown). Family will receive friends to pay tribute and celebrate the life of Ken at THE DeJOHN-FLYNN-MYLOTT FUNERAL HOME OF SOUTH EUCLID, 4600 MAYFIELD RD. (just East of Green Rd.) FRIDAY 4 PM UNTIL TIME OF SERVICE. On-line obituary and guestbook at www.DeJohnCares.com.