Carl Brown

Au Train

Carl R. Brown, aged 54, of Au Train, after a two-year fight with cancer, passed away Friday, August 7, 2026, at his home, surrounded by the love and care of his family and North Woods Home Hospice. He was born November 9, 1971, in Springfield, Illinois, to Richard and Alice (Anderson) Brown. Carl graduated from Thornapple Kellogg High School in Middleville, Michigan, in 1990, where he was a standout baseball player. While attending Grand Rapids Community College, he began working with his father at Brown Corporation in Ionia and advanced from trainee to Engineering Manager. He later founded Brown Parker Concrete, helping families with residential concrete projects. Carl married Amy Mason on June 24, 2000. Together, they enjoyed the outdoors and traveling, and nearly every trip included either a snowmobile or a boat. After years of snowmobiling from their cabin in the U.P., Carl and Amy fell in love with the area and decided to buy a resort. Determined to make that dream a reality, and although there were several resorts for sale in the Upper Peninsula, they bought one that was not even for sale. For 19 years, they welcomed countless families to Northern Nights Resort, creating a year-round place to enjoy the U.P. It was truly a labor of love. Carl enjoyed cooking up a fish-fry, snowmobiling, fishing, woodworking and was an excellent fixer upper. He was also a talented bowler who rolled multiple 300 games and was a member of the Moose Lodge and the American Legion.

Above all, Carl was a devoted grandpa who cherished time with his grandsons, whether sharing woodworking, fishing, watching the Detroit Tigers on TV, or doing whatever the boys wanted.

Carl is survived by his wife – Amy Brown of AuTrain; daughter – Jennifer (Brandon) Schon; grandsons – Nolan (8) and Cameron (6) Schon; father – Richard Brown; brother – Chuck (Deanna) Brown; sister – Hillary (Josue) Guaregua; and numerous nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his mother and stepfather – Alice and Chuck Smith.

Private family services will be held at a later date.