Brian Lightfoot Brown, son of Patricia Riley Brown and Keith Romaine Brown, grandson of William Leo Riley (1912-1985) and Helen (Manning) Riley (1921-1994) was born in Westerly, Rhode Island but grew up in Pawtucket.#

Brian is now living in the Phoenix, Arizona area, but as you can read from a recent posting, Brian still feels Pawtucket’s strong emotional tug. I thought it would be nice to include his own words in today’s birthday acknowledgement. Brian’s words not only verify the adage, “A house is a home,” but are a loving reference to his grandfather, William, who was born 108 years ago on July 24th.

“So the house I grew up in is for sale. The house was perfectly placed between Memorial Hospital and McCoy Stadium. I grew up on Arch Street in Pawtucket, Rhode Island. My maternal grandparents bought this house in March of 1954, when my Mother was just 6 months old. Both grandparents were from Pawtucket, but this house was more in my Grandfather’s stomping grounds. My Grandparents added 2 sons to the household and raised their family at 81 Arch Street. I recall many visits to see my Grandparents. In 1979, my parents got divorced and my Mother moved back in with my Grandparents, but with my younger brother and I in tow. My Mom’s youngest brother still lived at home, finishing college at that time. This was my home, my Mother’s home before that. My Grandfather built a shed in the backyard, literally finishing it merely 2 weeks or so before his death in 1985. This was the house where I was raised. The backyard where I played baseball with friends and where my high school graduation party was held in 1992. My Grandmother held on to the house until her death in 1994. My Uncle then moved out, it was just my Mom, my brother and I in the house now. My brother and I were just getting into our young adult years, cracking into our 20s. But then in 1999, we had to give up the house and move. This has honestly disturbed me ever since. A few months after we moved out, a high school acquaintance of my brother’s bought the house. It was unnerving to see someone living there, but what could we do. Years later, it appeared that the owners moved out and were renting the home but made some renovations and yesterday, my brother showed me photos and that our childhood home is for sale. Oh how I wish I could afford it. I have vowed that if I ever come into enough money, I will buy this house back. It will be a chip on my shoulder until the day comes when my family owns this house, or until I take my last breath on this earth. There is no “getting over it, I will always long for reconnection to this house, end of story.”

Happy Birthday, Brian! May you be blessed with a powerful air conditioner. In Phoenix, the high temp is expected to be 100 with a low of 85 on your special day.

• see entry dated July 23, 2019
• # corrected place of birth to Westerly