Obituary : Ralph W. Brown
Ralph W. "Buster" Brown, 94, most recently of Hudson, N.H., died on May 9. He was born in Edgartown on March 4, 1915, to Capt. and Mrs. St. Clair Brown.
Ralph left school in his early teens to go to sea with his father but soon decided it was not meant for him. He returned to school at Tilton School for Boys in New Hampshire and upon graduating, attended Wesleyan College in Connecticut. He later transferred to Colby College in Maine, where he graduated in 1938, and then went on to receive his master's degree from Suffolk Univerity in 1953.
In 1944, he enlisted in the Navy and served his country in WWII. He was later called from the reserves to serve during the Korean Conflict.
Ralph had a 30-year career in education, which took him from the classroom to Superintendent of Schools. After retirement, he joined the State Department of Education as an assistant administrator of education in Massachusetts.
During the early years of teaching, Ralph and Howard "Nick" Nickerson owned and operated the Captain's Table in Oak Bluffs during the summer. They also owned and operated Gremlin Fog Service in the mid 50s.
In 1974, he returned to Clearwater, Fla., where he was an active realtor and enjoyed playing tennis well into his 80s.
Ralph and his family have resided in the Martha's Vineyard Campground for 68 years.
Ralph is survived by his three daughters and their husbands: Sandra and Frederick Cournoyer, Pamela and Richard Quimby, and Marsha and Leo Gagnon, all of Oak Bluffs. Ralph is also survived by nine grandchildren, 14 great-grandchildren, a niece Claire Nickerson Hall, and nephew H. William Nickerson.
He is also survived by Bernice Carragher, his devoted companion of 38 years and her extended family.
Ralph is predeceased by his sisters, Harriet Smith, Marie Nickerson, and his brother, Paul Brown.
Services were held in Nashua, N.H. There will be a memorial service held in his honor on Sunday, July 12, at 1 pm at the Westside Cemetery in Edgartown.
