John B. Brown III, 77, of Boynton Beach, Florida, peacefully passed away on July 2nd, 2024, after a brief illness, surrounded by his loving wife and family. John was born on November 9th, 1946, in Elmira, New York, to John B. Brown Jr. and Helen Whiteman Brown. John graduated from Southside High School, in 1964, and State University of New York Brockport, in 1968.

John had a very storied and fulfilling career in public service. He started his career as an English teacher in Brockport, NY. When John wasn't teaching, he served as a Police Officer with the Brockport Police Department, and a volunteer Lieutenant with the Capen Hose Fire Station.

In the early 1970s, when drugs were becoming a major problem, John responded to a police call that led to an investigation of a fatality. The fatality happened to be a student he was mentoring at the time. That student died of a drug overdose. As fate would have it, in the newspaper the next morning, there was a call for federal narcotics agents. This led to John's true mission, in 1972, when he was appointed Special Agent with the U.S. Department of Justice, Bureau of Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs (Now DEA) with the Buffalo Field Division. He served for 15 years in Buffalo, and developed lifelong friendships that have remained until the day of his passing.

John served a storied 32 year career with the DEA. Throughout his career, John made significant contributions to law enforcement, playing a pivotal role in combating drug trafficking, and ensuring the safety of communities. His professionalism and integrity set a high standard for all those who worked alongside him. His career at the DEA was a distinguished one, whether it was in Buffalo, Mexico, Miami, El Paso Intelligence Center, Dallas Field Division - or at the DEA headquarters – John rose to the challenge and excelled at each assignment. John was eventually appointed by president, George W. Bush, as Acting Administrator of the DEA in 2002. A quote from President Joe Biden: "John Brown is a dedicated, hard-working government leader. He is known at the DEA and in the larger law-enforcement community as a thoughtful, personable administrator, and a man of great humility". Although his career didn't define him, it gave him the ability to serve his country and make his family proud.

John loved his DEA career, but the one thing he loved more was his wife of 41 years, Christine.  If you were lucky enough to meet John, you know that he always left a lasting impression. He was an amazing story teller and they got even better after a few cocktails. John enjoyed the simple things in life; his wife's home cooked meals, the Buffalo Bills and wings, Genesee Cream Ale, and spending quality time with his family.

He is survived by his spouse, Christine "Chrissy" DeSimone Brown, and loving sons, Patrick J. Brown (Michelle), and Michael R. Brown (Tracy), and beloved grandchildren Sean and Kayla, all of Nashville, Tennessee. He also leaves behind his niece, Sarah DeSimone, and nephews, Anthony and Luke DeSimone (Lexi), and many other family members and friends, too numerous to mention. He is predeceased by his Father, John B. Brown Jr., Mother, Helen Whiteman Brown, and Sister, Susan Brown Diggins.

A memorial service to celebrate John's life will be held at Boynton Memorial Chapel, on Saturday, July 13th from 11AM-1PM. Friends and family are invited to attend and share their memories.
To honor and share JB's stories for generations to come, we invite friends and family to email any pictures and/or stories of John to this address - JohnBBrownIII@aol.com