ONESVILLE – Services for Durward Edward “Dee” Brown Jr., former businessman and community leader of Jonesville, who died Wednesday, Nov. 14, 2007, after a lengthy illness at his residence, Mayo Plantation, surrounded by his family, will be at Trinity Presbyterian Church, in Jonesville, with the Revs. Melodie Long and Clyde Ray Webber officiating.

Burial will follow at Heard Cemetery, in Manifest, La., under the direction of Young’s Funeral Home in Jonesville.

Visitation will be from 5 to 8 p.m. today at the funeral home.

Mr. Brown was a life long resident and businessman of Jonesville and Catahoula Parish and a member of the Trinity Presbyterian Church.

In past years, Mr. Brown held various civic and leadership positions including: president, Jonesville Jaycees; president, Louisiana Seedmans Association; president, Louisiana Soybean Festival; chairman of the Catahoula Parish Hospital Board; past member of the Louisiana Cattlemen’s Association; and deacon in the Trinity Presbyterian Church.

Mr. Brown worked in the family business known as Brown Brothers for over 40 years starting as a child delivering groceries for Brown Brothers Wholesale Grocery in 1945. Brown Brothers operated retail stores in Jonesville, Harrisonburg, Jena and Olla, quickly becoming a household name. In 1956, after graduating from Mississippi State University in seed technology and agriculture, Mr. Brown joined the family business. He came to be known as one of the most knowledgeable agricultural persons in Catahoula and Concordia parishes.

In 1958, the Browns opened the first grain elevator in the area and the growing of soybeans was introduced as a profitable crop. In 1966, Brown Brothers opened the fertilizer mixing plant, servicing farmers in many parishes. Brown Brothers grew to be one of the largest garden centers in the area offering feed, seed, hardware, garden supplies, fertilizer and custom seed cleaning. In 1997, Mr. Brown began to work as an independent cotton consultant and later for the Louisiana Department of Agriculture with the Cotton Bowevil Eradication Program. Mr. Brown served his country with eight years in the Army Reserve.

He was preceded in death by his parents, Durwood E. Brown Sr. and Alpha Webb Brown.

Survivors include his wife, Mickie Nasif Brown; sons, Durward Brown III and wife, Eddie, both of Jacksonville, Fla., William “Bill” Brown of Jonesville, Michael “Mike” Brown of Chicago and Zane Nasif Brown of Birmingham, Ala.; daughter, Brittain Marie Brown of Baton Rouge; seven grandchildren; two great-grandchildren; brother-in-law, George Nasif of Natchez; a niece; and nephew.

Pallbearers will be Buddy Davis, Randy Boughton, Cleve Womack, J.S. Fairbanks, Jason Tiser and Mike Venable.

Honorary pallbearers will be Fred Parish, Bill Avery, H.C. White, A.L. “Petie” Moore, LeRoy Paul, Jimmie Jones, Leo Booth, Charlie Venable, Morris Wilson and Al Boughton.

To leave an online condolence, visit www.youngsfh.com.