Melvin Brown's Obituary
Obituary
At rest, at peace, I am positive that God loves him best. Melvin Brown, born to Tommie Brown, Sr. and Mattie Mae Brown on December 2, 1959, in Memphis, TN passed into eternal rest and went to heaven to be with the Lord on November 15, 2024, at his home.
Growing up in the north Memphis community, Melvin developed his inspiring hustle and robust work ethics working at an early age with his mother and siblings in their family-owned trucking business, and their dump truck hauling and recycling company during which he was given the nickname “Puff.” He acquired his fallible and socially unreserved character while working daily at the family operated Browns Service Station, a well-known Convenience store and somewhat retro and nostalgic FULL-SERVICE Gas Station and Tire Shop in the north Memphis community until it’s closing.
Melvin graduated from Memphis Technical High School in 1977. Upon graduation, he had the privilege of working in the corporate realm alongside his father at Skaggs Iron Works, Inc. all while they both stayed very active in the family businesses. Following his employment at Skaggs, he went to work for R.C. Crawford, Inc, a foundation drilling company in the Memphis Frayser area as a general laborer and later became a sought-after crane operator. Carrying his work ethic with him there and working very closely with his mentor Mr. R.C. Crawford, Jr., the owner of the business he soon became a skilled Construction Foreman. He was very seasoned and competent in his field. As he not only overseed the construction crew he was very instrumental in the operating of various heavy equipment machines on any given job site. Drilling foundations for jobs site for buildings like portions of St. Jude Research Hospital, Morgan Keegan Towers, Dupont, The Cresent Center, MLG&W substation in Millington and jobsites beyond Memphis and spread to many states and predominately the state of Texas in cities like Austin, Lufkin, Beaumont etc.
He remained a dedicated and faithful employee to that drilling company until he was offered a more laid-back position with the City of Memphis, in the Street Maintenance Department that would keep him local and allow him to spend more time with his family and continue operating heavy equipment which he had grown to love. His toys became big heavy equipment machines. If you knew Melvin a slow pace 9-5 although it was a real good paying job at the time would not suffice his hustle and bustle character. So, he took on a new hobby/side hustle of collecting and selling wooden pallets after work. He became so good at it that he left the “city job “and then founded his own pallet recycling company, and name it Pallet Plus. He rented a building in his hometown north Memphis until the space there became too small and overwhelming. Fortunately, by prayer and faith, God opened a familiar door that would lead him back to the property in Frayser where his mentor allowed him to operate his business in that same space at no cost to him. Eventually, Mr. R.C. Crawford sold that property to Melvin and his wife, Phyllis and hence Pallet Plus was Incorporated in 1995. Becoming one of largest black owned family recycling and manufacturing wooden pallet companies in the Mid-South. There his wife, became CEO, his daughter Brittney was CFO, and his son Trazmyn “TJ” became the Production Foremen. Melvin’s ability to customize a pallet by listening to the needs and the pains of his customers gave him a niche in the pallet business that would exceed the supply of the standard size pallet. He was a hard-working man who trained his employees with the same work ethics that he grew up with. Throughout the 30 years of his business, Melvin became a mentor and the go-to person with a wealth of information to share in the pallet business. After gradually downsizing his business, he officially closed Pallet Plus Incorporated in May 2022.
Over the last 5 years Melvin made it his business to strategically Role-Switch and transferred his customer base and workload to his son’s business, BTrazz Logistics, LLC. He and his wife became employees to their son “TJ” while Brittney remains closely affiliated thus, making a smooth exit for Melvin while continuing to offer his customers and colleagues the same business to business relationships. This was a move that would set himself up for retirement and continue to structure a pathway for Generational Equity and his family Legacy.
Melvin became a born-again Christian at an early age at the Golden Leaf Missionary Baptist Church in north Memphis where he served in the youth department and sang in the choir. Later he joined the New Testament Gospel Christian Church where he faithfully served on the founder’s board, as a trustee, a deacon, a basketball coach, and a tenor in the choir for many years. In 2013, he and his wife became Vision Partners at The Life Church Memphis on Germantown Pkwy. In 2014, along with his wife and son he went through a 4-week Discovery Process at Life Church and became planted there where he severed as a Greeter. Later his daughter, Brittney, joined The Life Church. During the Even Greater season at The Life Church, he and his wife changed their serve location to the Houston Levee campus where he was planted until his death.
Melvin was a born leader, super hard-working, loving and devoted husband and father. He loved to travel with his wife, meet new people, and have dedicated times of solitude especially on rainy days.
In addition to his parents, he was predeceased by his oldest brother, Tommie Brown, Jr. and his brother David Brown.
He leaves to cherish his loving memory his best friend and wife for 47 years, Mrs. Phyllis Elaine Taylor Brown, his daughter Brittney DeShun Brown, his son Trazmyn Jeremiah Brown and his daughter Meska Minter Pollard/Andrew Pollard-son-in-law, all of Memphis, his brother Lorenzo Brown/Judge Yolanda Kight Brown sister in-law of Memphis, his 4 sisters: Rev. Mrs. Reathie Brown Bailey/Archbishop Dr. LeRoy Bailey, Jr. brother-in-law, of Hartford, Connecticut; Mrs. Doris Brown Price/Mr. Christopher Price brother in-law, of Oakland, TN Angela Brown of Hartford, Connecticut and Mrs. DeFayne Brown Johnson/Mr. Danny Johnson brother in-law of Memphis; Phyl’s sister Missionary Margaret D. Johnson/Pastor Arthur Johnson, brother-in-law of Mount Pleasant, Mississippi; Phyl’s brother Mr. Reginald Taylor/Mrs. Mary Townsend Taylor, sister in-law of Northport, Alabama; two aunts: Mrs. Odalia Jones and Mrs. Janice Sennett both of Somerville, TN; one uncle; Mr. Jerry Brewer of Memphis; 5 Grandchildren, 3 Great Grandchildren, a host of Nieces, Nephews, Cousins, former employees, customers, vendors, colleagues, neighbors and other relatives and special friends.
The memorial service for Melvin will be as flows:
Sunday, December 1, 2024, at 2:00pm at Memorial Park Funeral Home, 5668 Poplar Ave, Memphis TN 38119 The Visitation will be December 1, 2024, at 12:30pm-2:00pm at the same location.
To view the service online, please click on link below:
https://webcast.funeralvue.com/events/viewer/106971/hash:384082189C3BC6F9
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