Obituary of Hank Brown

Hank Brown, well-known upstate New York radio and television personality, and beloved husband, father, grandfather, and great-grandfather, passed away on May 9, 2022, in Middlebury Vermont, surrounded by his wife and children, after an extended battle with Alzheimer’s Disease. Hank was born in Philadelphia, Pa. in 1930 to William and Margaret Brown. He served during the Korean War and then went on to attend broadcasting school. Hank married Esther Devlin of Staten Island, N.Y. on October 29, 1955, and moved to Little Falls, N.Y. in 1957 for a job with radio station WLFH. Over the course of his professional life, Hank was very involved in both the sports and the entertainment industries. He was well knownthroughout the Mohawk Valley and beyond for his morning radio show, as “Your Host for Coffee and Toast,” specializing in popular music from the 1930s to the 1960s. He was also the host of the television dance show “Twist-a-Rama,” which aired on WKTV in Utica, N.Y., every Sunday afternoon from 1964 through 1968, and included live performances of top entertainers. Throughout his career, Hank was also the master of ceremonies for famous performers in venues all over the country. Hank was a frequent announcer for local, regional, national and international sports events, including boxing, basketball, and baseball, such as Cooperstown’s annual Baseball Hall of Fame ceremony, boxing events throughout the region and from New York City’s Madison Square Garden, the NY State Empire Games, as well as the Olympic Games. He received many honors from local and national organizations, including induction into the Greater Utica Sports Hall of Fame and the International Boxing Hall of Fame. Hank also volunteered for several community organizations, hosting an annual Christmas event for children in need. He was active in the Knights of Columbus, coached little league baseball and Pop Warner football. Additionally, Hank was the grand master of the Little Falls sesquicentennial celebration. Following his retirement, Hank and his wife retired to N.J., to be near their son Kevin and their youngest grandchildren. In 2020, they relocated to a senior community in VT, near their daughter, Colleen. Hank was predeceased by his parents as well as his son Daniel Patrick. He is survived by his wife of 66 years, Esther, and his children Colleen (& Douglas Richards) of Middlebury, VT, Cathleenof Gainesville, Fl, Celeen (& Joseph Lawrence) of New Lebanon, N.Y., Timothy of Syracuse, NY, and Kevin (& Cheryl Brown) of Cedar Grove, N.J. He also leaves behind 13 grandchildren: Josh, Hannah, Emma, Christopher, Larissa, Zachary, Devlin, Dalton, Teagan, Taryn, Daniel, Liam, and Erin; as well as 7 great grandchildren: Sina, Sophie, Julian, Ben, Ronan, Sloan, and Bruno. A celebratory Mass will take place in Little Falls, NY at Holy Family Parish Church at 1:00PM on Saturday, July 16th, 2022. In lieu of flowers, those who wish to honor Hank’s life may make a contribution to his favorite charity, St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital. This tribute has been provided by Hank’s friends and funeral directors, Harry and Kevin Enea and Martin L. Ciaccia of the Enea Family Funeral Home, 24 West Monroe Street, Little Falls, NY (315) 823-2424.