Friends pay homage to co-worker BY MARTHA MASIELLO FOR FLORIDA TODAY ADVERTISEMENT Enlarge this image Buy this photo Celebration Bob Patry; Charlie Mars and JoAnn Brown were on hand to pay homage to Sheldon "Buz'' Brown. Martha Masiello, for FLORIDA TODAY TITUSVILLE — Four decades of loyalty to the space program brought with it hundreds of friends for Titusville resident Sheldon “Buz” Brown. Many of these friends gathered recently to pay homage to a man described by his former co-workers as a “great man, even-tempered, cool, not easily rattled, a space-worker legend and a wonderful friend”. In hospice care with cancer, 72 year-old Brown told his wife, JoAnn, that he wanted to see his friends again before he died. JoAnn contacted Linda Bradley, a former co-worker, who made it happen. With the support of Paul Salisbury and Wanda Wyckoff, owners of Paul’s Smokehouse, Bradley sent out an e-mail message to a few folks. The response was astonishing. The result was a get-together of hundreds of well-wishers filling the restaurant and lining the stairs and parking lot, wanting to say “thank you.” “I had always been told about the respect my husband had earned from his co-workers, but this is overwhelming,” JoAnn Brown said. Ages of attendees ranged from the 20s to the 70s, sharing with each other many stories and memories about Brown’s place in the space program. “We’re here because everybody loves Buz,” said well-wisher Bob Patry. “He was always even-tempered, not easily rattled. We nicknamed him Buz-Saw because he always was sharp to help others with problems or issues, and never tooted his own horn. He kept things moving along quiet and efficiently.” Charlie Mars, retired NASA employee said, “I always depended upon Buz to be my problem-solver. Prior to his illness, he volunteered his experience and enthusiasm to support the Space Walk of Fame in Titusville, sharing his love of the program, with locals and visitors alike, dating back to the old Apollo days.” Brown, who during his career with worked with several companies — including Grumman, Lockheed, Lockheed-Martin, Martin Marietta and United Space Alliance — will leave a legacy among his “space-worker” friends. Among tears and laughter, Brown again helped his friends and co-workers remember the camaraderie he cherished. “I was very touched by the outpouring of love and affection and am proud to have worked among these folks,” Brown said.