James Brown Jr. Obituary

James Brown Jr. went by many names, Downtown J.B. Brown, Captain Crunch, J.B. and UNC. He was born June 26, 1966, in Washington, D.C. He passed away at his residence, where he lived with his father, James Brown Sr., on Friday, Sept. 25, 2020. He died of renal failure after a 26-year battle with dialysis because of kidney failure.

J.B. was preceded in death by his beloved mother, Shirley Williams Brown; and his maternal grandmother, Josephine Coleman.

Survivors include his two sons, Dontae Beams of Bowling Green and Lavell Chine of Adelaide, Australia; and a daughter, Kasey Blackford Goddard of Owensboro. He also is survived by his father, James R. Brown Sr. of Radcliff; his two brothers, Eric Brown of Elizabethtown and Jeffrey Brown of Houston, Texas; as well as a sister, Robin Ayers of Bowling Green. His nine nieces and nephews, Nicole, Natasha, Sara, Joseph, Perry, Eric, James, Clifford and Tyrone, along with so many others great-nieces and great-nephews, who all were so special to him. He had numerous adopted nieces and nephews who he loved and they will miss him dearly.

J.B. loved a round of 18 holes of golf daily with his father and other friends. His love for the game of basketball had him often in a gym being a mentor, leader, coach, role model, supporter and cheerleader to many young people, where you could hear him say, "handle your business."

He was a 1984 graduate of Fort Knox High School. There he participated in basketball and track. He was the state of Kentucky high jump winner in 1984 with a record setting jump and that record still holds in class 1A to date. He attended Kentucky Wesleyan College on a basketball scholarship and graduated in 1988 with a degree in art. He was a member of the team that won a national championship under Coach Wayne Chapman. He was a two-time All-American and he was inducted into the Hall of Fame at Kentucky Wesleyan. After graduating from Kentucky Wesleyan, he became a member of the Harlem Globetrotters and continued to play the game he loved until 1995, when he was diagnosed with double kidney failure. Despite his battle with dialysis and other health issues, he continued to touch the lives of so many people of all ages. It did not matter where he went, someone always seemed to know him. He was a charismatic individual with a heart of gold. He loved life, basketball and giving advice. He was an advent fan of the Pittsburgh Steelers and his pride in his high school and his college are evident in his artwork and collections.

J.B. loved life and his family. He was a big brother, a little brother, a son, a father, a role model, a mentor, a friend and uncle to all kids he met.

Mr. Brown's service is at 7 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 3, in the chapel of Chism Family Funeral Home in Vine Grove. Cremation follows the service.

Visitation is from noon to 7 p.m. Saturday at the funeral home.