In loving memory of Brian William Black - Obituary Baldwin Brothers

Obituary

Brian William Black age 75 of The Villages, Florida, passed peacefully on April 2, 2024. He was born on August 9,1948 in Seattle, Washington to the late Bruce H. Black, US Army, and Marguerite E. Barnart of Vancouver, BC, Canada.

Brian lived his first sixteen years as an international student in Asia, Latin America and Europe. After graduating high school in Heidelberg, Germany and studying at Heidelberg University, Brian returned to the US in 1965 and attended Texas Christian University (TCU) where he lettered in soccer and served as ROTC Battalion Commander.

After graduating and achieving Airborne/Ranger/Pathfinder qualifications in the U.S. Army, Brian served in Vietnam, and while still on active duty, was a member of the Ft. Belvoir, VA rifle team. After the Army, he attended The American Graduate School of International Management (Thunderbird) in Glendale, AZ where in 1975 received a Master’s Degree in International Business Management.

Over the next 40 years, Brian worked in sales distribution and field applications engineering in the construction equipment industry, mostly overseas, and met his future life partner, Jody Davis, in Peoria, Illinois where they married in 1977.

Brian was a true “citizen of the world.” He was able to converse in several languages and traveled to more than 100 countries. He loved studying history, geography and traditions of the places he visited.

Retiring at 2014 in The Woodlands, Texas, Brian pursued his passion for serving others via church outreach programs building schools, clinics and orphanages in Mexico and Guatemala. He was also involved in a Prison Ministry program (Kairos) to mentor incarcerated men in Spanish and Portuguese as they prepared to transition back into society.

Brian and his wife relocated to The Villages, Florida, in 2018 where he was a member of The First Baptist Church at The Villages and Vietnam Veterans of America Chapter 1036.

He was a strong man of faith, the eternal optimist, a true gentleman and a man of distinct integrity and compassion. He will be greatly missed by all of those who loved him, befriended him and those mentored by him.

Brian is survived by his wife, Jody, two daughters Stacey Payne (Mark Payne) and Allison Black, all residing in The Villages, and grandchildren Alexandra Stout of California and Austin Stout of Texas.

Brian’s final wish was to be buried with his military brothers and sisters at Florida National Cemetery in Bushnell, Florida; interment on June 7, 2024.

Rather than flowers, the family would like to request donations to www.tunnel2towers.com or www.vva1038.org.