Mark L. Brown

Mr. Mark L. Brown 58 of Cary, NC passed Friday, March 26, 2021. Funeral services for Mr. Mark L. Brown will be held 1:00 PM Friday, April 2, 2021 at Pleasant Grove Church in Cary, NC located on 1528 Davis Dr. There will be a public viewing for Mr. Mark L. Brown on Friday, April 2, 2021 at 12:00 PM at the church., burial will be in the Holly Springs City Cemetery. 

Mark Lavel Brown was born May 02, 1962 in Baumholder, Germany to Nander and DeLois Brown.  As a child of a military family, Mark was educated at various schools across the country.  During his formative years, he lived in Reston, Virginia and graduated from Herndon High School in 1981. Mark was a superstar in all aspects of his life, but especially on the football field.  As a Herndon Hornet, he was a four-year varsity letterman and earned all-state football honors as a running-back.  He was known across the Washington, D.C. Metropolitan area as Mark “The Truck” Brown. Upon graduating from high school, he was awarded a scholarship to Norfolk State University, where he earned his Bachelor of Science Degree in Business. 

Mark was a quintessential professional who dedicated over 30 years in the sales industry, working for various businesses such as the former Sprint Telecommunications Corps, Strayer University, and CarFax.  He worked and lived in Northern Virginia the majority of his career, until 2017, when he relocated to Cary, North Carolina to work for AllData Automotive Intelligence as a Business Solutions Manager. He received numerous sales awards and accolades for his contributions and dedication to the companies he worked for throughout his extensive career.

In 2015, Mark married his life partner, Sheryl (Shannon) Brown from Colorado Springs, Colorado. Mark and Sheryl enjoyed watching movies and eating out at restaurants of many different varieties.  As a family Man, he encouraged unity, demonstrated respect for others, and was always ready to accept any challenge or adventure that came his way. Lastly, he always found time to offer wisdom and advice; and give an abundance amount of love to his daughter, Courtney and son, Mark Jr.

Mark was a very giving person with a “Heart of Gold".  His true passion was in helping others, especially young men, where he coached boys of all ages in various sports and mentored them in life skills and the importance of giving back.  Additionally, he dedicated a tremendous amount of time and effort to train and provide advice in physical fitness to anyone who was interested.  He thrived for the very best in life. He played hard, worked hard, and loved harder.  While in high school, he demonstrated his zest for life when he gladly accepted the Fairfax County School Board’s requirement to play in the marching band at half-time of his football games, in order to attend and play for Herndon High School, because the local school in his district was new and did not have a football team yet.

Mark will have a reunion with his Grandmothers, Hattie Bea and Mattie Lou; and Grandfathers, William Draper, Nander Brown Sr., and Cleveland Hall welcoming him as a “knuckle-head”; Aunts, Marie, Patsy, and Theresa; and a handful of cousins that passed before him. Mark entrance into God’s kingdom will be gracious but flashy in his favorite red shirt with his muscles bulging and white hat, sun glasses and white clean shoes carrying ice for his family reunion.  Surely, they will be excited to see him with their welcoming arms, hugs, and kisses.

On Friday evening on March 26, Mark “The Truck” Brown victoriously crossed the goal line one last time and transitioned home to be with his Lord and Savior, after a courageous battle with pancreatic cancer for nearly two years. 

His love and memory will always be in the hearts and minds of his loving family, wife, Sheryl; daughter, Courtney Elliott; son, Mark Brown, Jr.; mother, DeLois Brown; father, Nander Brown, Jr.; sister, DeLois Babiker-Burroughs (AL); brothers, Nander Michael IV (Cheryl) and Patrick (Raynell); mother-in-law, Sister Lillie Shannon; sisters-in-law, Cynthia Shannon Dorsey, and Rosemary Shannon Boone; brothers-in-law, Kevin Baker, and James T. Shannon (Wanda Shannon); nieces, Essence, Jazmiene, and Cierra; nephews, Nander Marcus V, Patrick Jr., Amir, Jackson; step daughters, Shyy, Jada, and Diamond; step grandchildren, Lamar, Heaven, Jaden, Laniya, Bailee, Oliver and August; and a host of aunts, uncles, cousins, and friends.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be to the following organizations, in honor of Mark Lavel Brown:

Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center

http://Mskcc.convio.net/goto/marklavelbrown

Comfort with Chemotherapy Inc*
Attention: Angelina Brown
P O Box 1410
Ottawa, Illinois 61350

https://comfortwithchemotherapyincnfp.com

American Pancreatic Association*

https://www.american-pancreatic-association.org/apaf

*Gift donation notification email: JoinMarkintheFight@gmail.com

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