Beloved husband, father, grandfather, and friend, Daniel Cleary Brown, 77, of State College, Pa., passed away surrounded by his wife and son at his home on January 22, 2025. He was born on April 4, 1947, in Memphis, Tenn., where he lived all but six years of his life. He was a graduate of Catholic High School. Except for a stint enlisted in the U.S. Army from 1967 to 1970, his career was spent working at, and later owning, Leonard's Barbecue. He leaves behind his wife of 56 years, Janet Shannon Brown, of State College; his son Daniel Cleary Brown, Jr. of Port Matilda, Pa.; his granddaughter Emma Kate Brown of Port Matilda; and his sisters, Virginia Brown Murphy and Barbara Brown Johnson, both of Memphis. He was preceded in death by his parents, Louise and Milford Brown of Memphis.

Dan led a rich life, and the outpouring of sympathy received by the family is a testament to the incredible number of people he touched. There were three overarching themes in Dan's life: hard work, service to others, and a healthy dose of irreverence. As a young man at Catholic High School, his neighbor Roy Hamlin took him to a party where he met the love of his life and future wife, Janet. Dan and Janet dated all through high school. Although Dan grew up in a family of modest means, he did not let this stop him from finding ways to show Janet his love. Once when she had mumps, he wanted to give her flowers that he could not afford. His solution was to cut flowers (without permission) from his neighbor's yards and take them to Janet. Janet's reciprocated love for Dan was demonstrated by the antics she tolerated. After high school, Dan and his friends decided to take a "vacation" to Mexico in a friend's car. The friend's parents started to worry the boys might not return, so they reported the car stolen. That is how Dan got the "I spent time in a Mexican prison" story he loved to tell. Despite this behavior, Janet accepted Dan's proposal, and they were married in 1968 shortly after he enlisted in the U.S. Army. Money was tight during his service, and one Halloween during his training in Huntsville, Ala., Dan got the idea that he could go trick-or-treating through base housing for groceries. Of course, he returned with a bag of food for the week!

When Dan completed his service, he returned to his job at Leonard's, where he worked tirelessly for his whole career. Dan had been 15 years old when Leonard Heuberger first hired him to sweep the parking lot at the original location at Bellevue and McLemore. It was through Leonard's that he met and touched the lives of so many people from Memphis and beyond. He supported many organizations he cared about through food donations or catering at (and frequently below) cost. Dan's customers and employees remember him as someone who genuinely cared about others. Anyone who knew Dan can recount times he gave a person a ride home, helped them with a small loan, or provided a meal in their time of need. In 2021, Dan sold Leonard's to Wendy McCrory, who has continued the restaurant's tradition.

Dan enjoyed the outdoors. He and his son were active Boy Scout Troop 55 members at Second Presbyterian Church, and he seldom missed Troop 55's monthly camping trips. His regular attendance on these excursions was prompted equally by the chance to spend time with his son and Janet's admonition, "If our son doesn't come back, you don't come back!" Each summer Troop 55 spent a week at Camp Kia Kima near Hardy, Ark.. Dan was a fixture on these trips, always spending the full week with the boys. One year Dan decided the nutritionist-inspired menu provided by the camp was inadequate, so he went straight to the grocery to buy supplies. As a restaurant owner, Dan would abide no half-measures when it came to food. Scouts from those Kia Kima trips still remember grilled hamburgers, fresh-cut French fries, and fried onions. Scouts have never had food so good! Dan also loved fishing and was a regular at Pickwick Lake fishing for bass and crappie with his main fishing buddy David Schmitz. This duo's (in)famous sense of humor could make a sailor blush. His son will sorely miss Dan's phone calls saying, "You're not going to believe this joke David told me!"

After selling the restaurant, Dan and Janet moved to State College, Pa., to be nearer to their son and granddaughter, Emma. Emma held a special place in Dan's heart. Every silly game she asked him to play was fully embraced, and whenever Emma asked Grandma and Grandpa for something, Janet would always say, "You know your Grandpa won't ever say no!"

Dan wished for no formal memorial, funeral, or burial service. Thankfully, Dan did not rule out his son writing an overly long obituary to commemorate his life. For those wishing to make memorial donations, Dan would have loved for you to support the Chickasaw Council of the Boy Scouts of America (www.chickasaw.org) or his local animal shelter Centre County PAWS (www.centrecountypaws.org).

An online guestbook may be signed and condolences left for the family at www.hakygeorgianafh.com.