[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 161 (2015), Part 3]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 3917]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                          HONORING STEVE BROWN

                                  _____
                                 

                        HON. THEODORE E. DEUTCH

                               of florida

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, March 19, 2015

  Mr. DEUTCH. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in honor of Steve Brown, an 
extraordinary community leader, an accomplished businessman, and a 
friend, whose life was tragically taken when he was killed riding his 
bicycle last April.
  Steve was a man who lived his life the right way every day. He grew 
up in Illinois and moved to Florida in 1978 to start his career. Steve 
was a master salesman, who built Brown's Furniture in Boca Raton and 
Jupiter, Florida into landmark furniture and design stores. Steve 
believed his business should be built on the hallmarks of honesty, 
integrity, hard work and devoted service. He would do anything for his 
customers, even loaning them furniture until they had chosen what they 
wanted, so that their homes wouldn't be empty in the interim. Steve was 
extraordinarily loyal to those who worked with him; the average 
employee of Brown's has been with the company for more than twenty 
years.
  Steve was a dedicated member of his community. He was very active on 
the board of the Florence Fuller Child Development Center and helped to 
manage their thrift shop. He served on the board of Temple Beth El of 
Boca Raton for many years and chaired the membership committee. Steve 
was active in helping resettle Jewish refugees from the former Soviet 
Union when they came to South Florida, and he would regularly loan his 
company's trucks to needy or vulnerable families if they needed help 
with a move. He was active with the Jewish Federation of South Palm 
Beach County and an ardent supporter of America's bond with the State 
of Israel through Israel Bonds.
  Most important to Steve was the love he shared for his family. He was 
a loyal son to his father and mother Carol and Murray Brown, a 
dedicated brother to David and Pam, and a loving and devoted husband to 
his wife Dana, the love of his life. Most important to Steve were his 
children: his daughter Susie and her husband Micha, his son Andrew, his 
wife Jennifer, and his youngest son Jordan. If only he could have lived 
to see the birth of his granddaughter Sara, born last August.
  I am glad to take this opportunity to celebrate Steve's life and 
legacy, and I join with my friends at Spanish River Community High 
School in my district who will be honoring Steve's memory on March 28, 
2015. For all of us who were privileged to know Steve or were touched 
by his vibrant life that was all too short, Steve's memory truly is a 
blessing.

                          ____________________