Wil Brown

Wil Brown peacefully passed away on April 26. He wassurrounded by family. Wil was born on May 15, 1938 in Little Rock Arkansas to Wilbur F and Aretha Brown. When Wil was one year old, the family migrated to Detroit, Michigan. 

Wil attended Cody High School where he excelled in basketball. While at Cody, he met Evelyn Crugnale. He and Evelyn were married in January 1957 and would spend the next 66 years together. Wil graduated from Wayne State University. While attending college, he joined the National Guard.  Wil was a salesman at heart. He rose through the ranks at consumer product companies Johnson & Johnson and Kimberly Clark. 

As a result of various promotions, Wil, Evelyn and family moved from Detroit to Kansas City in 1965 to Chicago in 1968 and to Atlanta in 1973. In 1974, Wil was asked to move to the northeast to assume the role of National Sales Manager for a major consumer products firm. Wil and Evelyn enjoyed living in Dunwoody on Kingsley Lake and he declined the offer.

In 1979, Wil started Travel Incorporated, a travel management company focusing on the business traveler. TI became his passion. He built the business to became one of the largest privately held companies in Georgia. As a reflection of his success, Wil was asked to speak at various colleges and universities on the subject of entrepreneurship. 

Wil and Evelyn split their time between Venice Florida and Suwanee Georgia. Wil is survived by his wife Evelyn; sons Mark (LuAnn), Mike (Rita), Matthew and Christopher (Lisa); grandchildren Anna, Mark, Courtney, Kristina, Debraleigh, Pauland Sydney; 11 great grandchildren; sister Dorothy Pasanen and brothers Charles and Ron. 

In 2013, Wil lost his grand daughter Amber. He created an endowment at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta in memory of her. Wil was also a contributor to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. These were two of his favorite charities. The family encourages people to donate if they feel so compelled.