[NFBV-Announce] The passing of Charlie Brown

Wed Aug 4 16:16:38 UTC 2021

It is with great sorrow that we share the passing of our longtime friend and
leader, Charles "Charlie" Brown. Charlie was a driving force in the National
Federation of the Blind at a national and state level for nearly 50 years.
At a national level, Charlie served on our national Board of Directors,
served as national Treasurer, served as an attorney on our national staff,
and played a significant role in ensuring civil rights for blind people,
especially voting rights. In Virginia, Charlie served as President of the
National Federation of the Blind of Virginia for 26 years and was
instrumental in our work across the Commonwealth, in building our affiliate
and many of our chapters, and in the lives of so many of our members. He
directed our legislative advocacy to achieve successes such as the
Virginians With Disabilities Act and many important legislative changes that
have impacted the lives of countless disabled Virginians. 

However, for many of us, Charlie was not only a leader but a tremendous
friend and mentor. I think I speak for many that Charlie Brown was a true
friend and role model who was committed to me and my family. Charlie, along
with his wife Jacki, were generous with their help, compassion, and advice
for so many in Virginia and throughout this country. Charlie was committed
to the National Federation of the Blind, to his work as a public servant for
many years, to his community through his leadership in the Kiwanis Club of
Arlington, to his church, and to his family. He was a tremendous friend,
role model, and leader who will be sorely missed.

Funeral Details:

On Sunday, August 1, Charles Brown passed peacefully.  

Services for Charles will be held at 2 PM on Saturday, August 14, 2021 at
Omps Funeral Home in Winchester, Virginia.

Omps Funeral Home

, 1600 Amherst St. 

Winchester, VA 22601 

540-662-6633 

 <http://ompsfuneralhome.com/> ompsfuneralhome.com

The service will be held in the Amherst Chapel.

Due to COVID restrictions, it is important for the family to know estimated
counts of who will be attending the funeral. The family will have services
with food afterwards.  Again, all are welcome but, the family just needs a
general head count because of possible capacity restrictions.

Within the National Federation of the Blind, Sandy Halverson has agreed to
collect the names of people who will be attending the funeral. 

Additionally, recognizing that transportation to Winchester is complex, we
are arranging bus transport from Arlington Virginia to Winchester on
Saturday, August 14. Sandy is taking reservations on the bus to the funeral
for those interested.  We are working on bus cost details but anticipate the
cost will be in the range of $30 to $50 roundtrip per person. We kindly ask
you to RSVP to Sandy by Sunday, August 8 so we can provide an approximate
head count to the family and work out bus capacity requirements.

Sandy Halverson

sjh300 at outlook.com <mailto:sjh300 at outlook.com> 

703 400 6890

After that date, you are still welcome to attend but we ask that you RSVP to
the family directly by emailing 

 <mailto:charlesbrownrsvp at gmail.com> charlesbrownrsvp at gmail.com

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions in Charlie's memory may be made
to: 

The National Federation of the Blind of Virginia 

3230 Grove Avenue

Richmond, VA 23221 

or you can give online at:

 <http://www.NFBV.org/give> www.NFBV.org/give

Alternatively, you can contribute to 

 the Chaplaincy Fund

300 Westminster-Canterbury Dr

Winchester, VA 22603.

For further information please visit the obituaries and tribute wall at
<http://ompsfuneralhome.com/> ompsfuneralhome.com

The Obituary will be distributed once it is available.

This email is going to many people.  Please, share this with parties that
might want to attend.   Again, the family recognizes that there are some
restrictions, but they believe it is possible to accommodate all that might
wish to attend. 

If you have specific questions for the family, please reach out to Charlie's
son Stephen Brown 

571-512-2228

sstbrown at gmail.com <mailto:sstbrown at gmail.com> 

Tracy Soforenko

President, National Federation of the Blind of Virginia

202 285-4595

 <mailto:Tracy.soforenko at gmail.com> Tracy.soforenko at gmail.com

 <http://www.nfb.org> www.nfb.org

 <http://www.nfbv.org> www.nfbv.org

National Federation of the Blind. Live the Life You Want

The National Federation of the Blind is a community of members and friends
who believe in the hopes and dreams of the nation's blind. Every day we work
together to help blind people live the lives they want.

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