THOMAS W. BROWN, a consummate "people person" whose greatest joy was attending all manner of activities with his large family and many friends, passed away at his home in Trumbull, Connecticut, on February 11, 2024, at age 92, in the company of his wife and numerous family members.

As a husband, father, uncle, grandfather, cousin, parishioner, coach, teammate, co-worker and friend, Tom Brown wielded a boundless sense of humor, eternal optimism, a ready shoulder for support, and a bottomless patience for listening.

His wife, Sheelah (Mackin) Brown, was constantly entertained by his ability to rapidly fashion incisive and warm-hearted rejoinders. At events large and small, she could instantly locate him by following the sound of boisterous laughter.

Brown lived in Trumbull, Connecticut, with Sheelah and daughter Deirdre. He is also survived by six other children and their spouses: Brian Brown and Maryellen (Duffy) Brown; Cate (Brown) Cain and Michael Cain; Patrick Brown and Cindy (Kocsis) Brown; Nadine (Brown) Tuccinardi and Anthony Tuccinardi; Moira (Brown) Matthews and Tom Matthews; Ailis (Brown) Martin and Ken Martin.

Brown was predeceased by two daughters, Erin Brown and Brenda (Brown) Fortunato.

He is also survived by 25 grandchildren: Marisa and Luke Brown; Erin, Kiera and Caleigh Fortunato; Meghan Long; Seph and Tiernan Cain; Onora, Cormac, Treasa and Padraig Brown; Oona, Kerry and Amalia Tuccinardi; Eoin, Emmet, Eamon, Maeve and Nuala Matthews; Ken, Eliza, Jack, James, and Eddie Martin.

Brown is also survived by his brother Gene Brown, and a host of Brown and Mackin nieces and nephews. He was predeceased by sister Ida (Brown) Roche and her husband, Bob Roche; by brother James Brown and his wife, Constance (Hunt) Brown; and by sister-in-law Jean (Hand) Brown.

Family, faith and heritage formed the cornerstone of Brown's life.

An active figure in his Roman Catholic parish communities, Brown was a member of the Holy Name Society at St. Elizabeth's, in Wyckoff, New Jersey, and a member of the Sons of St. Joseph chapter at St. Theresa's, in Trumbull, Connecticut.

The descendant of Irish immigrants who voyaged to Canada by boat in the 1830s, Brown also found constant comfort being a regular presence at the Gaelic-American Club in Fairfield, Connecticut, which he joined in the late 1980s, shortly after moving to Trumbull.

Brown was the son of Ed Brown and Mary Noonan, who emigrated to the United States from the farming community of St. Patrice de Beaurivage, Quebec. He was the youngest of their four children and raised in the Highbridge neighborhood of the Bronx. A child of the Depression, Brown lived in a five-story walkup apartment on Woodycrest Avenue. Like many in this close-knit Irish-American neighborhood, his household often included hard-working aunts and uncles who had recently arrived in America.

Brown attended Sacred Heart Grammar School, and All Hallows High School, where he was an Honor Roll student, excelled at track, and served as editor of the school newspaper, The Blue and White. One of his first jobs was working as a vendor at nearby Yankee Stadium.

Brown studied at Manhattan College, where he joined the Navy and Marines Reserved Officer Training Corps (ROTC).

He completed his military service in 1956, attached to a combined Army-Air Force Engineering Unit at Wolters Air Force Base, in Texas.

In 1957, Brown married Sheelah Mackin, the daughter of Belfast natives John Mackin and Eliza (Maguire) Mackin. High school sweethearts, they would be married for 66 years.

As the couple moved to Queens, N.Y., Brown was at the start of a long career with IBM, just as the computer giant was entering a phase of astonishing growth and innovation. The family relocated to Wyckoff in 1969.

Brown's personal philosophy was drawn from his parents. From his deeply hopeful mother, he learned: "Don't worry, it may never happen." From his indefatigable father, a Latin phrase: "Labor Omnia Vincit." Hard work conquers all.

Funeral details: The wake will be held Thursday, February 15, from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. at Redgate-Hennessy Funeral Home, 4 Gorham Place, Trumbull, CT, 06611 (203-372-3587). The Funeral Mass will take place the following morning, Friday, February 16, at 10 a.m. at St. Theresa's Church (5301 Main Street, Trumbull, CT). The burial will also take place on Friday, February 16, at 1:30 p.m., at Long Island National Veterans Cemetery (2040 Wellwood Avenue, Farmingdale, NY, 11735-1211). To send online condolences please visit www.redgatehennessy.com