Fred Brownell, a former longtime resident of Pacific Palisades, passed away peacefully at his home in Camarillo on January 7. He was 89. Fred was born Sept. 21, 1914 in West Palm Beach to Fred, Sr. and Elsie Brownell. In 1928 his family moved to Redondo Beach, and it was there he met Mary (Schooley) Brownell, the girl next door, who would become his loving wife of 60 years before preceding Fred in death. A sergeant in the Army Air Corps during World War II, Fred served with the 833rd Squadron in the Asia Pacific Theatre. After the war, he received his B.S. and MBA degrees from USC, and became a lifelong Trojan fan. Fred designed and built his first home in Pacific Palisades, where he and Mary raised their family and lived for 45 years and were members of the United Methodist Church. In 1995 they moved to Camarillo. After a 30-year career at GTE, Fred worked 10 years for McDonnell Douglas. He was a CPA and past president of the Redondo 20-30 Club, the ATOM Club, and the Pacific Investment Association. He was also the first international president of the Business Forms Management Association. He loved to travel, visiting Alaska and Australia among his many destinations. He also liked to fish, swim and surf, played tennis at Redondo Union High and in college, and golfed weekly until he was 88. Fred was noted for having a great sense of humor. He loved life, God, family and friends and will be dearly missed. He is survived by his children: Beverly (husband Donn) McKnight of Puyallup, WA; Steven (Laura) Brownell of Burbank; Sally (David) of Camarillo; Julie (Mike) of Camarillo; his grandchildren John Bartels, Dan Bartels, Ann Austin, Matthew Lafferty, Brian Lafferty, Heather Replinger and Becky Replinger; and his great-grandchildren Steven Bartels, Sarah Bartels and Giana Austin. Fred is also survived by his brothers, Richard Brownell of Redondo Beach, and Gerald (Vivian) Brownell of Palos Verdes as well as numerous nieces and nephews.
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