Henry Peronneau Brown III

H.P. Brown III, passed away on Saturday, May 10, 2025. He was born on June 29, 1945, to the late H.P. Brown Jr. and Mary Frances Brown in Martinsville, VA.

H.P. is survived by his loving wife of 59 years, Faye Brown; sons, H.P. Brown IV and his wife Debbie, Wade Brown and his wife Kim; and his daughter, Duffie Jones and her husband Brian; brother, Hampton Brown and wife Katherine; and cousin and lifelong friend, William Davis. H.P. also is survived by seven grandchildren and four great-grandchildren, Colton Brown and his wife Carrie and their daughter, Eloise, Heather Cook and husband Tommy, and their son Levi, Chantz Brown and his wife Rhiannon and their daughter Ryver, Ashton Brown and his wife Courtney and their son, Alder, Savannah Brown and her fiancé Daniel, Sully Jones, and Summer Jones.

He is preceded in death by his brother, McDuffie Brown.

H.P. was born in Virginia and quickly became an adventurer. His father was his best friend, and they hunted, fished, and worked side by side. He and his brother Hampton joined the Marine Corps, a feat that he was always proud of. He was honorably discharged after 5 years of adventures with the Corps.

He came back home to work alongside his Daddy at Montague Betts Steel Company. His next adventure awaited him in Naola, VA, where he and his father started Wilderness Ridge Farm. Together they carved out something worth having out of that land. Along with the help of his father, his wife Faye, his sons, Peronneau, Wade, and his daughter, Duffie, he became a successful farmer. His family withstood many hardships as they worked the land shaping it into what it is today.

After he had conquered his dream of farming with his family, he set his sights on becoming an entrepreneur. He took another leap of faith and bought Safety Service Center. H.P. worked tirelessly to build his business travelling around Central Virginia to gain customers and to get his foothold. Between his impeccable work ethic and gritty, straight forward demeanor, he made a name for his business in the hydraulic and auto repair industry. He has installed and serviced equipment as far as Indiana and it’s hard to find a shop that didn’t know of H.P. He hung his hat on being fair, honest, and timely in his business and his legacy speaks to that.

Throughout all of these work adventures, he made countless memories that were centered on hunting, fishing, and spending time in the woods. He went to Alaska on a whim, drove his Chevy pickup for 21 hours straight to Michigan, fought the snow and ice in the Blue Ridge Mountains, all to get that experience. To live life instead of letting it pass him by.

He was an avid upland bird hunter and worked to preserve the “old ways” and owned some of the finest Brittany Spaniels to ever chase ruffed grouse. He took those dogs all over the country where they proved their worth in different environments.

He was also an ace trout fisherman and would spend his off days on a trout steam with a fly-rod. From that love of fishing, he gained a hobby of building rods and proceeded to build each member of his family a personal rod.

H.P. was more than a man, he was a character, a legend. He had that persona, tough and gritty, venturing out and staking his claim. He was the kind of man that novels and movies romanticize. H.P. Brown III lived his life the way he saw fit, from beginning to end, and lived a life worth living.

A memorial service will be held at 6:00 p.m., on Wednesday, May 14, 2025, at Tharp Funeral Home, Madison Heights. The family will receive friends one hour prior to the service.

Tharp Funeral Home & Crematory, Madison Heights is assisting the family.