PPG executive's personality brought sales, friends

Keeping friends close was important to John E. Brownell Jr.

Whether it was through a phone call, on a tennis court or from seats at a Pittsburgh sporting event, he “took an interest in everybody, in everything that they did,” said longtime friend Priscilla Ebert Oehl.

“He was very witty, had a wonderful dry sense of humor, but it was wrapped up in compassion,” Ebert Oehl said. “It was great to be in his company.”

Mr. Brownell, formerly of Fox Chapel, died Sunday, Aug. 25, 2013. He was 80.

Mr. Brownell loved attending Pittsburgh professional sporting events and was an avid player of racquet sports, said his daughter, Leslie Timmons.

He worked his way up through the ranks of PPG Industries, serving as vice president of marketing and sales in the fiberglass division and later of corporate purchasing. The sales position fit her father's personality perfectly, Timmons said.

“He loved sales because he was such a people person,” she said. “The sales came pretty easy to him.”

Mr. Brownell and a close-knit group of childhood friends often got together when he wasn't involved with his many volunteer positions with local organizations, she said. He served as board president of the Arthritis Foundation and was an elder in Fox Chapel Presbyterian Church.

Mr. Brownell served two years in the Air Force, graduated from Williams College and earned an MBA from Harvard Business School.

An advocate of education, he was involved in supporting Shady Side Academy, his alma mater, where he served as a trustee for 28 years.

Katie Mihm, the academy's director of enrollment management and marketing, said Mr. Brownell often attended school sporting events.

“He's been generous to the school in so many ways,” said Mihm, whose father was a friend of Mr. Brownell's. “He cared about people, and he cared about kids.”

In addition to daughter Leslie Timmons, Mr. Brownell is survived by his wife of 51 years, Nancy Gemmill Brownell; son Jeffrey Brownell; three grandsons; and a sister.

Friends will be received from 3 to 6 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 8. in Fox Chapel Presbyterian Church, and a memorial service is planned for 11 a.m. Monday Sept. 9. Memorial contributions may be made to the church, Shady Side Academy or a charity of choice.

Renatta Signorini is a staff writer for Trib Total Media. She can be reached at 724-837-5374 or rsignorini@tribweb.com.