Charles Anthony Brown

Charles Anthony Brown, 64, passed away on October 24, 2025.  He came into the world on June 17, 1961, born to the late Calvin and Elizabeth Brown. He is also preceded in death by his sister, Judith Jones and brother, Richard Brown.  Charles leaves behind a loving wife, Barbara of over 43 years and a son, Caleb.

Charles was always a social person, building lifelong friendships.  He loved life and lived it to the fullest. He worked for the city in various positions for 27 years.  He started out as a patrol officer, and was promoted through the ranks of sergeant, lieutenant, Assistant Chief of Police, and retired as the Deputy Mayor of Public Safety.  Charles loved the City For Akron and did all he could to keep the city safe and thriving.  His community service extended beyond the police department.  He was on the following boards: CHOICES Mental Health; Big Brothers and Big Sisters; Project Grad; Red Cross Summit, Medina and Portage County; and Leadership Akron Class 26.

Charles loved diversity.  Especially when it came to people, food and music.  He loved to cook, try different recipes, and sharing those items with family and friends.  Saturdays and Sundays were all about football.  He was a Dallas Cowboys and Ohio State fan. He loved cheering on his favorite teams and harassing his friends that were Cleveland Browns or Alabama fans.   He included his high school rivalries in this light-hearted teasing by saying, “so you were not lucky enough to get into the best school in Akron, Garfield High School”.

Charles had a passion for many activities that helped to build family and community connections.  Pickleball, dominoes, family history research, music, bourbon, cigars and travel were some of his passions.  He enjoyed traveling the world, seeing and experiencing all this vast world has to offer.  He was VERY competitive, whether it was pickleball, basketball, football or hop scotch, he wanted to win.  He was a mentor to many and felt it was his responsibility to leave the world better than he found it.

Aside from his beloved wife and son, Charles leaves behind to cherish his memory Calvin (Jeralene) Brown Jr., Gayle (David) Davis, Kimberly (Alfred) Clark, and Gregory Brown. He leaves behind a host of nieces, nephews, family and friends that will carry his love, strength and sense of adventure forever in their hearts.

A memorial service celebrating Charles’ life will be held at Lawton Street Community Center, 1225 Lawton Street, Akron, Ohio, Saturday, November 1^st from noon to 2:00 pm. In lieu of flowers, the family kindly requests donations be made to the Sickle Cell Foundation.