Craig Burt Brown
Craig Burt Brown passed away at home in Yreka, California on January 27, 2024 at the age of 78 after a heroic battle with lung cancer.
He is survived by his wife, Cynthia (Cindy) Altman Brown; his daughter, Camille Schenkkan; and his grandchildren, Ezra and Summer Schenkkan.
Craig was a world traveler, a teacher and a lover of astrology, firearms, and movies. He was born in San Francisco to Burt and Marguerite Brown in 1945, the youngest of three children (siblings Stewart Brown, died 1993, and Loralyn Aaro) and graduated from Lick Wilmerding High School in 1963. He also attended San Jose State University. He spent his 20s surfing semi-professionally all over the world and was a true hippie who was able to experience some of the most seminal moments of 1960s San Francisco culture. He was very proud of his time in the Peace Corps in Liberia in the late 1970s, where he had many adventures while teaching English to local children.
He met Cindy in 1977 in London, England, when she asked him if the bus they were on was going to Hampton Court. It was and he was pleasantly surprised that the cute woman on the bus was also an American. A worldwide romance ensued and they were married in 1982 and moved to Jeddah, Saudi Arabia the same year. There, Craig taught English to Aramco employees and Cindy worked at Jeddah Parents' Cooperative, an International School, until she became pregnant. Their child, Camille, was born in Jeddah in 1983. In 1984 they returned to the US due to health concerns related to their daughter. Craig did another short stint in Saudi Arabia in 1986, but returned once it became clear that Cindy and Camille would not be able to join him.
The family moved to Etna, California from the Bay Area in 1990 and Craig has been a resident of Siskiyou County ever since, moving to Yreka in 2002. He loved hiking to local lakes, especially Ruffey Lake, and appreciated the peaceful beauty of this area.
After conquering cancer in 2011, he was diagnosed with lung cancer in July of 2023 and died peacefully at home on January 27, 2024 after receiving incredible care at Asante Heimann Cancer Center.