Orville Jerome (Jed) Brown died Sept. 6 after a valiant fight with cancer. He was 62.

Brown was born in Pontiac, Ill., Sept. 26, 1948. He grew up in Belvidere, Ill., where he was an accomplished singer and athlete at Belvidere High School. As a young man he was active in scouting and received the Order of the Arrow, God and Country Award and received the highest scouting honor, Eagle Scout.

He attended Colorado State University and received his bachelor’s degree from Western Washington University. He received a master’s degree from the University of Washington and was accepted into the doctoral program at Stanford University. Brown was a teacher and wrestling coach and loved to work with students who had learning or behavioral challenges. He ran for office of Superintendent of Public Instruction in 1992 and 1996.

For the past 16 years, Brown has lived in Poulsbo and has worked for Barnes and Noble. He had a servant’s heart and was always willing to lend a hand to someone who needed a friend. Brown is best remembered as the “Beloved Cowboy” of Poulsbo. He and his beautiful black horse “Magic” were well known by many who have driven down Big Valley Road in Poulsbo.

He is survived by his parents, Ruth and Orville Brown of Poulsbo; a sister, Sherrie Brown Alwood; a brother-in-law, Darrell Alwood of Bellingham; his nephew, Shane Martin of Bellingham; and his niece, Zoe Kapan and her son, Cameron, both of Bellingham.

A memorial service will be at 1 p.m. Sept. 12 at North Kitsap Baptist Church. Interment will take place at Woodlawn Cemetery in Ferndale.

An online memorial can be viewed at www.lewischapel.com.