William Ralph “Bill” Brown

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William Ralph “Bill” Brown, 82, of Centralia, passed away peacefully Monday, Oct. 19, 2015. He was born Aug. 30, 1933, in Puyallup to William McKinley Brown and Catherine Myrtle Brown. He served in the U.S. Army in his 20s. Bill married Phyllis Louise Conn of Auburn, Sept. 13, 1958. Bill and Phyllis ran a dairy farm in Auburn and moved to Bucoda to farm in 1969. Bill also worked as a diesel mechanic, while farming both in Auburn and Bucoda. He talked fondly of his time working for PHT Inc. and his brother, Bob, who owned Brown Truck and Equipment in Auburn. After moving to Centralia, he worked at I-5 Truck Sales and finished his career at System Diesel, a well-known Cummins engine rebuilder for KC Truck Parts.

A collector at heart, Bill put together impressive treasures of hit-and-miss engines and clocks, as well as guns and dairy antiques.

He was preceded in death by his wife, Phyllis, who passed in 1998.

A celebration of life is scheduled for Sunday, Nov. 1, 2015 at The Restaurant at Sunbirds, from 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.