David Leonard Brown

David Leonard Brown, of Saint Charles, MO, passed away Monday, October 28, 2019 at the age of 59. Cherished son of the late Leonard and Edna Brown. Beloved husband of Barbara Brown. Devoted father of Sarah (Sean) Levins, Amanda (Chuck) Miller, and Elizabeth Brown; dear brother of Belinda (Keith) Little and the late Bob Brown; son-in-law of Bob Stadler; brother-in-law of Kathie (Allen) AufderHeide, Ken (Carol) Stadler, Sue (Jerry) FitzGerald, Sandy (Don) Algren; loving uncle, cousin, cycling brother and dear friend to many.

Dave was the Team Captain for the Bike Stop Cafe and was involved in many charitable cycling events including Tour de Cure, Pedal the Cause, Bike M.S., Cycle for Life and many others. Through the years, Dave and his team have raised over $100,000 for various charity rides. Dave had 38 years of service for United Parcel Service and was part of their community involvement team and participated in their canned food drive every year. He was involved in Families for HoPE. Dave also ran his own CB shop for many years, "Dave's CB’s" and most of all enjoyed spending time cycling and with his family.

Dave lived his life according to strongly held principles of integrity, fidelity, fairness and charity. He was a nice guy and a natural leader. Friendly, fast to laugh and joke, and it seemed he knew everybody in the cycling community. He was a memorable person, and once others knew him, they always sought him out.

Dave was pretty humble and didn’t talk about himself much, but when you got to know him you learned that he lived a rich and sometimes difficult life. But through it all, he acted in a way that exemplified the best of humanity. He was a walking, rolling example of what it means to be a good person. Dave was dedicated. From the moment he met Barb at the Shell carwash/ gas station where he worked, and from the moment he started his job at UPS, Dave attached completely. Dave was committed, unwavering in his faithful devotion to whomever and whatever he cared about. He was an amazing husband and father, and the best friend any of us could hope for. Dave was generous. He gave to others, and made sure that no matter what he had, he would share it. Dave gave 100 percent. Somehow, he and Barb both seemed to squeeze more hours from a day than any of the rest of us ever could, accomplishing more than it seemed humanly possible. Dave loved deeply. His motto was “family first,” and he lived this every moment of every day. He loved Barb, Sarah, Amanda, and Elizabeth completely, and they lived in the warmth of his protection and caring. He was dedicated to caring for his mother in her final years, and spoke often of his love for his siblings, Belinda and Bob. The depth of his love was felt by all who knew him.

Dave was courageous, selfless, hardworking, funny, generous, a strong fighter, and so much more. He was an example of what we can be when we try our hardest and do our best, when we fight for what we believe in, when we put the needs of others before our own, when we squeeze out every drop of goodness in what we are and all we have, when we realize that the world isn’t here to give us what we want. He showed that it’s up to us to give to others and care for those we love, for our world, and for all of those who live in it.

He was kind, and good, and caring, and loving, and taken from us way, way too soon. The world is a poorer place without him, and we will all wake up tomorrow a little emptier because of the holes in our hearts where he resided. It’s not fair, but Dave would have been the first to tell us all that life isn’t fair, that we make do and do the best we can with what we have, and to make sure that however little we possess, we share it with those who have less than us. Despite the weight of our loss we can feel peace and gratitude knowing that the universe we share has been enriched immeasurably by his generosity and spirit. Safe travels, Dave. Keep the rubber side down. It’s all downhill from here, and you have a tailwind the whole way. David was dearly loved and will be greatly missed by all who knew him.

Memorials may be made in David 's honor to The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.