Laurel Augusta Brownlee, Jr.

Laurel Augusta Brownlee, Jr. Longtime musician, friend to all, and loved one, Laurel Augusta Brownlee, Jr. passed peacefully on Wednesday, January 31, 2018. Laurel was born on December 4, 1933, in Breaux Bridge, Louisiana, to parents Laurel Augusta Brownlee, Sr. and Corine Conrad Brownlee. The family moved to Port Arthur when he was a young boy, yet Laurel maintained a soft spot for his grandparents in Louisiana and spent much time there with family. Ambitious at only nine years old, Laurel and his younger brother became Port Arthur News delivery boys and continued the enterprise into their high school years.In his middle school years, Laurel proudly joined the Boy Scouts of America and began to develop his talent in music. He learned to play several instruments, yet the French horn was his favorite. He attended Thomas Jefferson High School where he kept busy as a member of both the Maroon and Gold Marching Band and The Jeffersonians musicians.When Laurel was a high school senior, the charter group who established the Beaumont Symphony Orchestra recognized Laurels musical talent and invited him to audition for membership, a position he held for years. Upon graduation from TJHS in 1952, Laurel pursued a degree at Lamar University and became the Drum Major of the Cardinal Marching Band. His next adventure was to join the United States Army as a member of the Fourth Army Band and to travel nationwide playing concerts and civic events. After completing his tour of duty, Laurel obtained a Masters Degree in Music Education at Sam Houston University in Huntsville. From this point onward, Laurel enjoyed an enduring career as a band director in both Texas and Florida schools. Success in his first teaching jobs at St. Augustine High School and Kirbyville High School propelled him to French High School Band Director in Beaumont where he was the one to establish the Buffalo Bells Drill Team. His wanderlust then took him to Pensacola, Florida, and Escambia High School, his most cherished teaching experience. Laurel garnered many accolades, scholastic and personal, as he conducted both the marching and concert bands. Throughout the decades since then, his former Escambia students continued correspondence with their beloved leader to share lives. In the early 80s, Laurel returned to Texas to teach and work for Swicegood Music, another pursuit of his great passion. Finally, Laurels retirement brought his greatest joy when he settled in Bryan, Texas, where he relished years of spoiling his grandchildren: Laurel IV (Scooter), Kyle, Elizabeth, Zachary, Victoria, Catherine, and Madison. Laurel was preceded in death by both of his parents and his brother Robert C. Brownlee. He is survived by his sister Claire Brownlee Barras and his two children, Jennifer Johnston and Laurel A. Brownlee III along with several nieces and nephews with whom he has maintained close ties. The family requests your support of the Alzheimers Organization (alz.org) in memory of Laurel. A Visitation will be held at Levingston Funeral Home in Port Neches on Saturday, February 10, 2018, at 9:00 a.m. followed by a memorial service officiated by Father Shane Baxter at 10:00 a.m.