Joel Brown, ladies' man, foodie, sun worshiper, and accomplished traveler, died on Thursday, September 11, 2014. Joel was an amazing cook. He owned and operated many restaurants. More than anything, he loved making people happy with his delicious food concoctions. The women in his life were numerous. The most important being his mother Helen(deceased), who exposed him to the world of fabulous food(most of which came from her garden). He adored his little sister Debbie, who was the princess of the family(and still is). He met the love of his life, Delores Davis when he was eighteen. They had an adventurous marriage for many years. Together they had a daughter, DeAnn VanNess and a son, Stephen Brown. Joel taught them to cook from the heart, to be contributors, to figure out what your good at and use it to make the world a better place, and to be thankful. He took great pride in helping people. Some of the best chefs in Portland served under Joel's tutelage. Just about all of Joel's children, nieces, nephews, grandson's and even a few cousins worked in Joel's restaurants. They all thought he coined the phrase, "if you're going to do a half ass job, don't do it at all". Joel was famous for hiring people that were down on their luck and getting them back on their feet. He saw good in everyone. He excelled at growing things. His garden was always filled with tomatoes, zucchini, rhubarb, basil and roses. When anyone paid a visit, they went home with many gifts from his bountiful garden. Above all, Joel loved being a Grandfather. He spent countless hours teaching his grandsons (Steven VanNess and Joel VanNess (Little Joel)) all of the pranks in his repertoire. Unfortunately, this later backfired when they started pranking him. Whenever his grandsons were in the middle of a dilemma, they called him. Joel knew how to get out of a tight situation and rarely reported to their parents. Joel loved being on the water. He spent much of his childhood on the rivers of Portland. His parents, Clyde and Helen Brown were members of the Rose City Yacht Club and their children grew up on the boat. His last few years, not many things made him happier than crabbing with his brother Mike and cruising the rivers with his brother Tim. The three brothers also enjoyed many Sunday breakfasts together which was a highlight of Joel week. Joel took fashion cues from no one. He sported a highlighted mullet for many years. Often he could be spotted roaming the backyard in nothing but his Jockey underwear and rarely did you see him wearing anything on his feet except his beloved Birkenstocks. He bathed in Calvin Klein Obsession and often would leave anyone he touched smelling fabulous, long after he was gone. He didn't have a degree in psychology but his advice was better than any shrink on the planet. He had real-life experience and he understood people. He often reminded us to remember that obstacles in the path are not obstacles, they ARE the path. Life is a learning experience and I'm not sure how we're all going to continue without our wonderful guide. Because of his love of the beach, the family will hold a Celebration of Life Memorial in Rockaway, Oregon at St. Mary's By The Sea Hall, 275 S Pacific St. Please join us on Saturday, September 20th from 12pm-3pm, bring your stories and any pictures you would like to share. Finally, the family asks that in honor of Joel's kind heart, you send a smile or kind word to someone who looks like they could use it.