James Michael Brown
BROWN, James Michael, “Mike,” age 72, passed away on April 1, 2020, at his home in Hideaway, TX after his courageous battle with cancer.
Mike was born and raised in Cherokee by Jimmy “Peanuts” and Tava Brown. Family was very important to Mike. He was a loving husband, father, grandfather, brother, uncle, and strong family man.
He formerly lived in Dallas, Texas, plus Colorado Springs, Colo., and had recently retired and moved where he currently resided, Hideaway, Texas.
Mike was a member of the First United Methodist Church Sunday school class of Lindale, Texas. He is survived by his wife for 30 years, Stephanie Poteet Brown; daughter and son-in-law, Brandi and Chris Harry; two grandsons, Hayden and Hudson Harry; sister, Machele Brown Guin; niece, Aimee Guin Yowell; uncle, Don L. Brown and extended family.
Mike was a 1965 graduate of Cherokee High School, Cherokee. In 1969, he graduated from Oklahoma State University with an accounting degree and married Carol Cook. After graduation, they moved to Oklahoma City where he worked for an accounting firm for a short time. He then joined the army and moved to Washington D.C. where he served at the Pentagon with top-secret clearance during the Vietnam War.
During his term in D.C., Brandi Lynn, Mike and Carol’s only child, was born. After becoming a Certified Public Accountant he opened his own accounting practice, Mike Brown, CPA, which later became Brown and McMahan, CPA’s, located in Cherokee. Several years later, he moved to Dallas, married Stephanie Poteet and continued to work as a CPA. Mike was given the opportunity years later to work for Kent McMahan which relocated him and Stephanie to Colorado Springs, Colo. where they resided for 12 years. During their time in Colorado, they made many fond memories together including weekend drives, admiring the Arkansas River, enjoying the views of Pikes Peak, along with many other special trips.
Retirement brought Mike back to Texas to be closer to his daughter and his grandsons. He enjoyed attending his grandsons’ band events, tennis matches, and baseball games. Mike was a lover of sports; everything from golf to baseball, football, and anything in between. Some of his all-time favorite teams to cheer for were the Dallas Cowboys, the Denver Broncos, and the St. Louis Cardinals.
Memorial donations in memory of Mike Brown can be made to the East Texas Food Bank, Tyler, Texas. Go to the East Texas Food Bank website, https://www.easttexasfoodbank.org , click on the “Donate Now” button in the upper right corner and please enter Mike Brown in the “On Behalf of Company name” box at the bottom.
A “Celebration of Life” ceremony will be announced at a later date.