Joseph Philip Brown

A graveside funeral service for Joseph Philip Brown, will be held at St. Joseph’s Cemetery, 6825 Mt. Vernon Road, Newark, on Saturday, December 1, 2018 at 11:00 a.m. with Father Jonathan Wilson officiating. Joseph “Phil” Brown, 75, died October 31, 2018 at Dodge County Hospital in Eastman, Georgia.  Phil was born September 9, 1943, in Greensburg, Pennsylvania, to the late Joseph and Agnes (Zamojc) Brown.  He was a 1961 graduate of Newark Catholic High School, where he excelled in baseball and basketball.  He received an Associate of Arts degree from Brewton Parker College, Mt. Vernon, Georgia in 1988.  Phil was a member of Blessed Sacrament Church in Newark, until moving to Georgia. Phil started his career with Roper Corporation in 1967 and was transferred to their plant in McRae, Georgia in 1972.  After serving in management positions with Roper, and then American Yard Products, Phil retired in 1998.  After retirement, he was appointed to the Telfair County Board of Assessors and enjoyed serving from 2004 to 2008, and again from 2012 to 2015. It was in McRae that he met Mary Kiebort, also a Pennsylvania native.  Phil and Mary married in Meadville, Pennsylvania on July 14, 1983, and enjoyed their life in the South until her death in 2009.  The warm Georgia climate allowed him to enjoy his love of golf, and many of his golfing buddies also shared his love of poker. Phil is survived by his brother, John (Dorothy) Brown of Newark; nephew, John (Dana Bennett) Brown, Jr., of Springfield, Ohio; great niece, Ali Brown of Oxford, Mississippi; special cousin, John Zimowski of Somers, Connecticut; many other cousins; sisters-in-law, Pat (Ray) Traversari and Rosie Mercatoris; and brothers-in-law, Peter (Evelyn) Kiebort and Robert Diventura. In addition to his parents and wife, Phil was preceded in death by sister-in-law, Katie Diventura; and brother-in-law, Dr. Michael Mercatoris. Memorial contributions may be made in memory of Phil to the Church of the Blessed Sacrament, 394 E. Main Street, Newark, Ohio 43055. The family is grateful for Phil’s friends, Jim Joines and Darren Marchman, of McRae, for their help during this difficult time.  They also wish to thank Charles Bethea (a golfing/poker buddy) of Lowe’s Funeral Home in McRae for his assistance in Georgia, and Jon Wagner of Criss Wagner Hoskinson Funeral home for handling arrangements in Newark. Visit www.HoskinsonFuneral.com to share a special memory about Phil or to sign an online guest book. Criss Wagner Hoskinson Funeral and Cremation Service is honored to care for Phil and the Brown family.