Alvin L Brown's Obituary
Alvin Lloyd Brown passed away peacefully at his home in Boca Raton, Florida on September 28, 2022. Alvin was born on November 5, 1934, in New York City, the son of Andrew and Ruth Brown and younger brother to Allen. In 1947, the family moved from the Bronx to Miami via Bordentown and New Egypt, New Jersey. Alvin attended Miami High School where he graduated at age 16. After deciding that the pre-med program at the University of Miami was not for him as a 16-year-old, Alvin entered the U.S. Coast Guard at age 17, joining big brother Allen. After completing his stint in the Coast Guard, Alvin re-enrolled at the University of Miami, this time in pursuit of an accounting degree. While matriculating at UM, Alvin was introduced to a recent UM graduate, Evelyn Epstein (z”l); the two married on July 31, 1955, and celebrated their 63rd wedding anniversary shortly before Evelyn’s passing in October, 2018. After graduating from UM in 1957 (with son Elliott in his arms at graduation), Alvin worked as a junior accountant for several years. Daughters Ruth and Sheri (z”l) were born in 1959 and 1963, respectively.
In 1966, Alvin teamed up with Bert Brown to form the Brown & Brown accounting firm. They later joined with Sanford Caplan to form Caplan Brown & Co. Over the years other mergers took place and new partners joined the firm, which eventually became known as Morrison, Brown, Argiz & Farra, or “MBAF.” Prior to being merged into BDO last year, MBAF was the largest non-Big Four accounting firm based in the State of Florida, and Alvin was the last surviving founder of the original firm.
Alvin touched so many people during his lifetime, both personally and professionally, often the two being combined. Among those is a weekly networking group known as “Alvin & the Chipmunks,” which Alvin formed after moving from Miami to Boca Raton in 1994. Until COVID, Alvin & the Chipmunks met in person each Wednesday morning; with the rise of COVID, the group pivoted to meetings by Zoom, still each Wednesday morning, with new members joining from beyond South Florida. Alvin & the Chipmunks will remain a part of Alvin’s legacy.
Throughout his professional career, Alvin was active in numerous organizations as a volunteer and donor, including Optimist Club, Greater Miami Jewish Federation, Israel Bonds, and others. He was also active in professional organizations, including the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants, and guest lectured on various tax and accounting topics during his career. Following Sheri’s tragic passing in 2009, Alvin and Evelyn combined Alvin’s love for Israel and accounting by establishing the Sheri Marlene Brown Memorial Scholarship Fund at Tel Aviv University’s Department of Accounting.
In addition to Elliott (Lori) and Ruth, Alvin is survived by his granddaughters Arielle and Samantha (Brian), sister-in-law Janine Brown, nephew Leslie Brown (Karen), their children and grandchildren, in-laws Bob and Marlene Krause, and numerous cousins.
Donations in Alvin’s memory may be made to the Sheri Marlene Memorial Scholarship Fund through the American Friends of Tel Aviv University at Donate - Brown Fund - American Friends of Tel Aviv University (aftau.org).
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