Lawrence I. Brown Jr., 79, comptroller, church leader

At Tabernacle Baptist Church in Burlington City, Lawrence I. Brown Jr. was more than a former chairman of the board of deacons.

Robert Preston, a deacon who recently took over as treasurer from Mr. Brown, said that Mr. Brown "was a very good Bible studies teacher" who, among other duties, led a Wednesday night Bible study class.

"He was a giant among the people at the church," Preston said. "Very well-loved, very well-respected."

On Sunday, June 15, Mr. Brown, 79, of West Deptford, a former member of the Willingboro Township Zoning Board, died of bone cancer at home.

Born in Atlantic City, Mr. Brown grew up in Pleasantville and graduated from Pleasantville High School in 1952.

During his four years in the Air Force, Mr. Brown was stationed on Okinawa and named Airman of the Month by the Strategic Air Command's 307th Bomb Wing, his wife, Joyce, said.

Mr. Brown earned a bachelor's in business administration at City College of New York and worked for the New York City accounting firm Eisner & Lubin in the 1960s.

With the office of the New York City comptroller, he helped audit the work of the firm that had built the city's first bus stop shelters, his wife said.

He later was the chief comptroller for EMC Enterprises, a job training firm in the Hotel Theresa in Harlem, she said.

Mr. Brown was a member of the West Deptford Multiple Dwelling Regulation Board and performed annual audits for the West Deptford Senior Citizens Club.

After retiring, Mr. Brown became an investment bookkeeper for the Masonic Home of New Jersey in Burlington Township.

At Tabernacle Baptist, his wife said, Mr. Brown was a leader in the marriage ministry, an instructor in the new members' classes, and began members' weekly visits to hospitals and nursing homes.

A weight lifter at Riverwinds Community Center in West Deptford, Mr. Brown was a member of the Del Val Golf Club.

As a teenager, his wife said, Mr. Brown won the Class B caddie championship for the city of Yonkers, N.Y.

In 1998, he scored a hole-in-one at the Willow Brook Country Club in Moorestown.

Besides his wife, Mr. Brown is survived by daughter Tracey Captan, four brothers, and two grandchildren.

A viewing is set from 10 to 11 a.m. Saturday, June 28, at Tabernacle Baptist Church, 150 E. Second St., Burlington, before an 11 a.m. funeral there, with burial in Odd Fellows Cemetery, Burlington.

Condolences may be offered to the family at www.wrwoodyfuneralhome.com.