Obituaries

Phillip Eugene Browning

Photo of Phillip Eugene Browning
Phillip Eugene Browning went home to meet the Lord on Wednesday, September 12, 2018 in Fayetteville, Arkansas, just a week shy of his 92nd birthday. He was predeceased by his parents, Oren Browning and Effie Mae Borum Browning; his wife of 59 years, Irene Alice Waller Browning; his brothers, Woodrow and Curtis Browning; and his son, Rodney Eugene Browning. Phillip is survived by his wife, Sue Hayes Froud Browning; his siblings, Donny Browning, Dewey Browning and Faye Browning Hollingsworth; and his children, Danny and Kim Browning of Winslow, Arkansas, Sharon Browning Motley and Phil Motley of Choctaw, Oklahoma and Stephen and Lisa Browning of Phoenix, Arizona; daughter-in-law, Lenora Browning, wife of Rodney Browning of Katy, Texas; and his step-children, Teresa Froud Baker and Terry Baker of Bentonville, Darrell and Heather Froud of Cave Springs and Kevin and Dana Froud of Fayetteville. In his blended family, he was blessed with 20 grandchildren and 20 great-grandchildren. Phillip was born on September 18, 1926 on a farm in Checotah, Oklahoma. He enlisted in the United States Navy during World War II, serving on the USS Mustin (DD413) near the Ominato Imperial Navy base in Mutsu Bay in Northern Japan during the signing of the peace treaty with Japan. His primary job on the ship was originally as a Fireman, but to escape working below decks in the boiler room, he volunteered to be the ship barber, never having cut hair before. He was a quick learner at whatever he set his mind to, and he pleased his Commanding Officer by giving uniformly short buzz cuts to the whole crew. After the war, he went back home to Checotah to buy a farm, and went so far as to buy a tractor. However, his plans didn't pan-out and they moved to Oklahoma City and Phillip attended Barber School and bought his own shop. That endeavor didn't last long, and he set out for the oil fields of Oklahoma, working as a roughneck. Now with a family of four to support, he headed back to Oklahoma City and worked two jobs at the same time. One was as a boiler systems engineer at Stefan's ice cream plant; the other was a maintenance man for Oklahoma City Rental Company. He also worked for Oklahoma Scenic Company, designing and installing props, backdrops and sound systems. The City Rental Company was bordering on going under, and Phillip assumed management of the company to get it back on its feet. He attended the University of Oklahoma and obtained his Real Estate Broker license. These culminated in his purchasing the City Rental Company, which he ran for a number of years, and by this time he had a family of six. Attending Appraisal School, he became an independent fee appraiser, often working for the Veterans Administration. Landing a job with the Federal Housing Authority, Housing and Urban Development (HUD), Phillip ultimately became the Deputy Chief Appraiser for HUD. He had the ability and desire to learn many things and obtained a pilots license and flew airplanes. He fixed-up and sold motor homes and rented them out for several years. He retired from the federal government in 1983 and moved to Winslow, Arkansas, pursuing his dream of being an artist, painting the beautiful countryside and historic buildings in rural Arkansas. Some of his paintings are on display at the Winslow Museum with many more in homes across the country. He traveled extensively, in all 50 of the United States, much of it by motor home. He loved seeing this great country, capturing its beauty on film and canvas. When not traveling, he created his own version of a small farm on five acres on top of Mt. Gaylor in the Boston Mountains, loving to work in his vegetable garden. Sue and Lee Froud were long time church friends of Phil and Irene, and after the passing of first Lee Froud and then Irene, the Lord saw fit to join Sue and Phillip in marriage. They enjoyed many good years on the Froud farm, allowing Phillip to fulfill his dream of being a farmer. A man of God, Phillip worshiped at Living Faith Church in Fayetteville, Arkansas. He loved his family, and working with his hands. He'll be remembered for all the beautiful things he created. The family will receive friends from 2-4 p.m. Sunday, September 16, 2018 at Beard's Chapel. Funeral services will be 10 a.m. Monday, September 17, 2018 at Living Faith Church in Fayetteville with Pastors Buel and Steve Curtis officiating. Interment will follow at 3 p.m. in Greenlawn Cemetery in Checotah, OK under the direction of Beard's Chapel. Pallbearers will be Darrell Froud, Kevin Froud, Stephen Browning, Jeremy Browning, Robert Browning, and Wm. Russell Browning. Honorary pallbearers will be Jerry Peters, Bob Brazell, Darrell Biswell, Terry O'Connor, Phil Motley and Mike Froud. Condolences at www.beardsfuneralchapel.com.

Published September 15, 2018

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