Robert A. Browning of Scranton died Monday from complications associated with Alzheimer’s disease. He is survived by his wife of 64 years, Laura Jean.
Born in Scranton on Aug. 30, 1926, he joined the Navy in 1943 and served in England through the end of World War II as a storekeeper. Upon discharge, he received his GED as a member of Scranton Technical High School, class of 1944. He subsequently served 36 years in the Reserves, retiring from the Army Reserve with the rank of master sergeant. In his civilian job, Mr. Browning worked for a local company called Printcraft Card Co., a specialty printing business. Over the 47 years he worked there, the company was bought and sold several times, and was called Herff Jones when he retired in 1992.
Mr. Browning was a charter member of the Association of Landlocked Petty Officers, a local group of Navy war veterans. He was also a member of the Sampson World War II Navy Vets Association, named after the Naval Training Center at Sampson, N.Y.
Among other activities, he enjoyed square-dancing with his wife, as well as traditional ballroom dancing. He played basketball regularly until age 70. In his younger years, he was active in First Presbyterian Church in Clarks Summit, serving as a deacon and elder, as well as Sunday school teacher and founder and scoutmaster of Troop 158. Until late 2010, when his health began to decline, Mr. Browning and his wife had been attending Parker Hill Community Church.
Mr. Browning passed away two hours shy of his 85th birthday.
Also surviving are and two sons, Robert II and John.
A memorial service will be held at Vanston and James Funeral Home, 1401 Ash St., Scranton, on a date to be announced. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that gifts be made to Disabled American Veterans (http://www.dav.org) or mail to Disabled American Veterans, att.: Gift Processing, P.O. Box 14301, Cincinnati, OH 45250-0301, or Alzheimer’s Association (http://www.alz.org/join_the_cause_donate.asp), P.O. Box 96011, Washington, DC 20090-6011.