Deacon Duane Anthony Brown

Deacon Duane Anthony Brown was born February 22, 1960 to Gladys Brown and Lee Brown in Reno, Nevada. He had two older brothers, and he was the love of his parents’ life. Duane was blessed to travel the world as a young child with his family due to his father being in the Air Force. By his early teens, his family settled in Orlando, Florida (Pinehills), where he would graduate from Maynard Evans High School in 1978. Duane always said he wanted to be three things in life: a father, a soldier, and a truck driver, and he accomplished all three and did them to the best of his ability. Duane went into the service in 1979 and in four years became an E6, something hardly ever heard of. Duane was able to accomplish this because of his natural leadership ability. In 1984, he had a daughter, Tanesha, who was the love of his life, the apple of his eye, and his little soldier. In 1988, he would leave the military service in Fort Benning, Georgia, and become a civilian working doing roofing to take care of his family. Not long after that, Duane would return to Orlando, Florida, and become a truck driver. In early 1996, he met his wife Michelle Cole, and on December 25, 1997, they married. God blended the two ready-made families together, and Duane took on the role of father to them all. On December 27, 2000, Duane became a papa to a bouncing baby boy, Anthony, who would change his life forever. He would go on to adopt that little boy years later and made him a Brown. In 2006, Duane would become a Deacon at the church his family attended in Georgia, Pine Chapel, presiding Pastor, David Russell. Then, after his family’s move back to Florida, he served on the Deacon Board at New Direction Community of Faith Church under Pastor Timothy Ford. In 2012, Duane would become wheelchair and bed-bound due to a rare muscle disease, inclusion body myositis. Duane had many grandchildren and one great-granddaughter. They all kept him going, and one thing was for sure: he made sure to set them up for the future. Duane fought a long and hard fight to a body that gave up on him many years before his love did for his family, and he continued to fight from his heart for his wife, children, grandchildren, and great-granddaughter. Duane's spirit will never fade. He will live on in all the lives he blessed. He is loved beyond measure and will be deeply missed, but we find comfort in knowing his light will continue to shine in all the lives that he touched. Deacon Duane Anthony Brown was preceded in death by his beloved, paternal and maternal grandparents, maternal uncles, Johnny, Sammy; and Auntie, Mary Louise; paternal uncles, Johnny, Willie; and Auntie, Annie May; brother, Robert Brown, daughter, Tanesha Murray; nephew, Gilly, and two dear friends John Holloway and Eric Poole. Left to cherish his precious memories: his wife, Michelle Brown, Special Son, Anthony Brown (Daysha), sons, Angelo Brooks, Jayson Roundtree (Faith), and Justin Roundtree (Amber); daughter, Jennifer Brown Gonzalez (Mark); brothers, Jerome Brown, and Christopher Brown (Vivian); sisters, Veronica Chandler, and Vanesha Peterson (Eric); auntie, Baby Ruth Johnson; grandchildren Sydnei, Alexis, Caleb, Audrey, Chloe, Scarlet, Jackson, Rose, Katerina, Grayson, great granddaughter Aubrielle, best friend Charles Gore, a host of nieces, nephews, cousins and friends.

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Deacon Duane Anthony Brown

February 22, 1960 - April 3, 2025