If you hadn’t heard yet, Lee Brown, who worked in South Dakota politics and campaigns on and off for many years passed away yesterday from cancer:
Leland (Lee) Brown, 63, Sioux Falls, SD, died on July 18, 2020 from cancer. He was born October 15, 1956, to Wallace and Betty (Phelps) Brown of Oldham, SD. He grew up on the family farm and attended the Drakola Congregational country church and the Drakola Common (one room) country school until they both closed in the late 60s and then he attended Oldham Public where he graduated from high school. He was also a graduate of the University of South Dakota with a Bachelors Degree in Political Science.
His career working in the government relations and political consulting fields began in South Dakota for many years before moving to Denver, Colorado, to live and work near the Rocky Mountains he so enjoyed.
You can read Lee’s entire obituary here.
It was just within the past few weeks that Lee had announced that he was ceasing treatment, and said his goodbyes to friends via Facebook. Lee was known by many in South Dakota politics, and universally well-liked.
Lee was a tremendously nice man, and an example for us all. Godspeed.
Lee was a talented and honorable guy! Privileged to work with him on legislative issues in Pierre and on several ballot issue campaigns. So sad!
“Lee was a tremendously nice man, and an example for us all. Godspeed.”
Indeed!
He was Kristi Noem’s first campaign manager and delivered victory for her in the 2010 primary. He was a kind man.
Seems like a just a few days ago that Bill Protextor brought this quiet kid from Oldham to one of our College Republican events at USD in the run up to the 1980 senate race. I had the opportunity to hire Lee for his first job in politics, canvassing door-to-door across South Dakota with the Abdnor Team. Like the rest of the 24 person crew, Lee Brown went on to be a community member all could be proud of. In the 41 years I have known Lee, I’ve had political agreements and disagreements with him, but I’ve never known him to get loud, or, mad or nasty. He had the ability to stay calm in settings that displayed a special ability to be a peacemaker in this world. RIP buddy
After Lee sacrificed his career to care for his sister who was sick for several years, I was devastated when I heard of Lee’s prognosis. He just dropped everything and worked as he could those years and was just getting back into a stride.
On the surface, Lee might be seen as an under-achiever. Smart, intuitive, hard working. All things which can combine to extra-ordinary success. But, Lee didn’t have the ambition for that kind of success. His ambition was to be a peaceful, humble disciple, a good friend, and grateful child of God.
If you had Lee Brown as a friend you were blessed. A couple people above used the word “kind” to describe him. While accurate, it is an understatement. Lee was more than kind as he breathed deeply. He inhaled you in a way that was deeply intimate, took on a bit of your burden, and looked at you as if he understood.
Sometime before Covid but it was a nice day, Lee and I met for breakfast. He had just decided his conventional fight was over. Instead, he was going to join some experimental clinical trials which he didn’t know if they’d hasten or delay death, increase or decrease suffering. The worst thing about these trials was it was going to require him to isolate himself so as not to complicate the trial by getting a virus or bacteria. He didn’t say it was goodbye but we hugged.
Lee then started walking one direction as I was to go the other. Instead of turning, I just walked my frail friend who looked 20 years older than me knowing we might never see each other again. When he was a block away, maybe sensing I was still there, he turned and waved and then proceeded on his journey.
We never saw each other again. Our last personal contact was a text a month ago. I proposed getting together. He declined. While he used the Covid as an excuse, I think Lee had made a decision his remaining days were going to be with family and maybe his closest friends. He’d said his goodbyes to this world. He was preparing for his next journey.
May the soul of Lee Brown, by the Mercy of God, Rest in Peace.