Skip to content
Home » Valentine's Day » Wayne County Sheriff’s Office mourns the death of Deputy Johnny T. “JB” Brown

Wayne County Sheriff’s Office mourns the death of Deputy Johnny T. “JB” Brown

The Wayne County Sheriff’s Office is mourning the loss of one of their own after he passed away at age 86 on Aug. 20, 2021.

Johnny T. Brown, also known as “JB” was a Harlem Globetrotter in the 1950s and 60s before retiring from sports and relocating to Lyons, NY.

At the time, Wayne County Sheriff Jim Hurley hired him as the county’s first black deputy.


Brown spent the majority of his career in corrections at the Wayne County Jail and got along well with the prisoners.

He served for the county from 1969 until his retirement in 1990.

He is survived by his wife of 25 years, Marleen Welch Brown, five children sixteen grandchildren, two step children, three step grandchildren, and many nieces and nephews.



Top