Arthur "Buzz" M. Brown

Dr. Arthur "Buzz" M. Brown, age 89, of Brecksville, OH and Key West, FL passed away June 26 of a lymphoma that advanced aggressively, taking everyone by surprise. Buzz was born March 3, 1932 in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada to Michael and Mary (nee Gussin) Brown. He is survived by his beloved wife, Dr. Diana Lee Kunze of 42 years; his loving sons from a former marriage, Andrew, Stephen (Tracey), Tim (Angela) and David (Christian) Brown; 6 grandchildren; and uncle to 4 nephews.

Buzz earned a M.D. in medicine from the University of Manitoba and a PhD in Physiology from London University in England. He worked in San Francisco and Salt Lake City before going to Galveston, TX and establishing a world-leading ion channel department at University of Texas Medical Branch. His work with ion channels led him to Baylor College of Medicine in Houston in 1985 as chair of the Department of Physiology and Biophysics and, in 1994, to Cleveland, Ohio as VP of Research and head of the new Rammelkamp Center for Education and Research at Metrohealth Medical Center, an affiliate of Case Western Reserve University. Eventually Buzz founded the bio-tech company ChanTest with his wife and served as the President/CEO until it was purchased by Charles Rivers Labs in 2014. 

Armed with a penetrating intellect, inescapable sense of humor and wit, and abundant joie de vivre, Buzz relished a lively debate, especially while dining, excellently, at a table with a view. Or after opera, hopefully Pucinni or Verdi, and best yet Aida with elephants in the march. Keen on travel with family, he and Diana and took his sons and grandkids to dude ranches in Montana, the great cities of Europe, African safari, and the Galapagos Islands. Buzz adored physical activity, whether it was tennis under the burning Texas sun in his forties or pedaling the ocean bike path just a few months ago in Key West. Buzz loved walking with Diana and biking in the lush forests of his cedar-sided home in the nearby Cleveland MetroPark and Cuyahoga Valley National Park. He was equally smitten with funky Key West and its flowers: orchids in the backyard, night-blooming jasmine by the porch, and the impossibly fragrant frangipani by the library.  

A generous, demanding, and supportive patriarch to many professional friends and family alike, Buzz is sorely missed. His spirit must be celebrated with laughter, joy, and a toast. 

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