Francis H. Brown, Jr., "Sunny" of Winston-Salem, passed away at the W.G. (Bill) Hefner Salisbury Department of Veteran Affairs Medical Center on August 8, 2024. A native of Winston-Salem, he was the first of two children born to the late Hattie Scales Brown and Francis Hiawatha Brown, Sr. At the time of his passing, he was an active member of Wentz Memorial Congregational Church of Christ in Winston-Salem, NC where he sang in the choir.

Sunny majored in design at Howard University in Washington, D.C., receiving instruction from James Porter, Edwin Lewis and Lois Mailou Jones. Further study in theater arts and stagecraft was pursued under the guidance of William T. Brown and Owen Dodson.

Upon completion of two-years of service in the U.S. Army, one year of which was spent in Vietnam, he returned to Winston-Salem and worked for several years as a technical illustrator for Western Electric before pursuing his passion for art full-time.

Sunny had a passion and talent for both music and art. Although his musical abilities were comparable to his artistic talent, he made a conscious decision to devote his career to the visual arts. While he often reflected if he made the right decision, his body of artistic work and the joy it has brought to the community and his admirers is a testament to his passion and talent.

Sunny's work has been exhibited in a variety of venues, too many to name; however, notable exhibitions include, the N.C. Museum of Art in Raleigh, The Gibbs Museum in Charleston, S.C., Winston-Salem State University, the High Point Theatre Galleries and the Gallery of Contemporary Art in Winston-Salem. In 1983, R.J. Reynolds Industries commissioned Sunny to paint a series of 14 watercolors for the Governor's Business Council on the Arts and Humanities. The paintings were presented to businesses throughout the state for their support of the Arts and Humanities.

Sunny was an active presence at the Delta Fine Arts Center from its inception in 1972. He helped plan and arrange their first exhibit: "Reflections of the Afro-American Artist" and contributed to the organization and its programs, curating and installing exhibitions as well as designing their logos and catalogs. He held his first one-man exhibition at the Delta Fine Arts Center in 1982.

Known for his tenor, Sunny loved to sing and was an active member of the Twin City Choristers for many years performing with the group in local churches, schools, and concert halls traveling to small and large cities with tours to New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania.

Sunny deeply loved his family who will forever cherish his memory. He is survived by his sister, Teresa Anne Lytle of Winston-Salem; his nieces and nephew, Maria Alves (Derek Ballard) of Raleigh, NC, Melissa Alves (Douglas Ammar) of Atlanta, GA and Christopher Alves of Brownsville, TX.; his grand-nieces and grand-nephews, Schuyler Suarez of Charlotte, NC and Madison Suarez of Atlanta, GA, Conor and Micah Alves-Ammar of Atlanta, GA, and Helena Alves of Oklahoma City, OK; his cousins, Deborah Spurlock and Sheryl Bryant of Winston-Salem, NC, Gail Curry, Denise St. James, John Webb, and Jeff Webb of Atlanta, GA, Stephen Webb of Maplewood, NJ, Jeanette Gilstrap and Jacqueline Solomon both of New York City, NY, Jean Johnson of Fredericksburg, VA, Kathleen Roller of Long Island, NY, Milton Parker of Columbia, SC, and Diane Ceasar of Winston-Salem, NC; and so many other family members and loving friends. He is also survived by his devoted Goddaughter, Karen Charles-Miller; and dear friends Mr. Don McMillan and Mrs. Parepa "PJ" Williams.

A memorial service is scheduled for 12noon Saturday, August 31, 2024 at Wentz Memorial Congregational Church of Christ in Winston-Salem with the Reverend Renee G. Griffin presiding. Inurnment will be held in Salisbury National Cemetery, Salisbury, NC at a later date.

The family requests that memorials be made to the Wentz Memorial Congregational Church of Christ and the Delta Fine Arts Center of Winston-Salem.