February 24, 1937 – May 1, 2014. Bob Melton Brown died peacefully on May 1, 2014, in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, after a long illness.

Bob was born February 24, 1937, in Hereford, Texas, the son of Fred and Erle Marie Brown, and brother to Freda and Gloria. Bob was a graduate of Lubbock High School, class of 1955. In 1960, he graduated from Texas Tech University with a bachelor’s degree in political science, and a minor in Spanish. Through ROTC, Bob entered the U.S. Air Force as a lieutenant and was stationed in Portland, Ore., from 1960 -1963. He married Judith Hyatt Kimber in 1965, and became stepfather to her son, Eliot. Their daughter, Catherine, was born in 1970.

The family moved to Coeur d'Alene, Idaho, in 1971. Bob began working at North Idaho College as an administrator in vocational programs. The following year in 1972, daughter Rebecca was born. Bob and Judy divorced in 1981.

In 1983, Bob married Anne Salisbury. He earned his Juris Doctorate from Gonzaga University in 1988 and began practicing law in Coeur d’Alene, first at the firm of Cox, Davis & Stoddard, and later establishing his own practice, specializing in labor law. Bob and Anne divorced in 1997, but remained good friends.

Bob’s life reflects his consistent commitment to the arts, public service, and social justice. Some of the memories that were particularly important to him include his service on the Coeur d’Alene City Council from 1982-1985; his work on the Idaho Commission on the Arts and the Western States Arts Federation; his role on the boards of both the Coeur d’Alene Community Theater and the Carousel Players; his involvement in civil rights actions in the 1960s, including a march where he held hands with Coretta Scott King and sang “We Shall Overcome;” his support of the Kootenai County Task Force on Human Relations; his work as a staffer to Texas Democratic Senator Ralph Yarborough in 1959; his work on John F. Kennedy’s statewide campaign in Texas in 1960; his work on the board of Opera Coeur d’Alene; his hosting of a weekly program on KVNI called “Sunday at the Symphony” in the late 1970s; his volunteer work with the St. Pius Soup Kitchen in the 1990s; and his active membership in the North Idaho Unitarian Universalist church.

Family and friends will remember Bob’s quick wit, generous hospitality, and unshakable beliefs. He loved to organize and plan events, and his eye for detail was legendary —whether setting up a conference, cooking a meal, directing a play, reviewing a legal document, or facilitating a meeting, Bob thought deeply about how each small part built to a whole.

Bob loved nothing better than to be of use; to be doing work that mattered to others.

Bob is survived by his two daughters, Catherine and Rebecca, and three grandchildren.

Services will be held at at 1:30 p.m., Friday, May 9, at Yates Funeral Home, Coeur d’Alene Chapel, with a reception to follow at the Iron Horse Grill on Sherman. Comments may be left at www.yatesfuneralhomes.com.