Evan Curtis Brown was born in Sherman, Texas, to Clint and Christie Brown, on October 24, 2004. He joined his local volunteer fire department several months before graduating from Honey Grove High School on May 19, 2023. Evan followed in the footsteps of his father, grandfather, and great-grandfather and became the first fourth-generation firefighter in Honey Grove, Texas. He was very proud of the legacy he chose to follow.

On Christmas night, while still a high school student, he eagerly joined several fire departments on scene of a tragic fire that consumed his family’s business in Honey Grove, Texas. The next day he decided to take the steps to begin his future. He joined the volunteer fire department, enrolled in college to study as an emergency medical technician, and planned to attend the fire academy. He was awarded several scholarships to assist in his plans and stayed focused on the career path while training and learning alongside several veteran firefighters that were eager to pass their knowledge on to him.

Evan loved his parents, family, and friends unconditionally. His mother, Christie Brown, was the center of his world, and he looked out for her well-being without question. He was without a doubt his father, Clint Brown’s, best friend and worked by his side in their family business that was established in 1943. Evan has a very large family that meant the world to him, which includes his five brothers and three sisters. On top of having a career planned out for himself Evan had future plans with his girlfriend, Rylei Mantooth. They looked forward to getting married and raising a family together.

The Honey Grove Fire Department members quickly became a second family to him. They welcomed him into their department and their lives with open arms. The brotherhood and comradery made Evan feel right at home inside the fire department, and he was honored to be a part of something so meaningful in his community.

On July 9, 2023, Evan and another volunteer firefighter were responding to an emergency call when they were involved in a wreck that resulted in severe injuries to Evan. He succumbed to those injuries twenty-one days later.

Evan entered this world into a family that loved him immensely and left surrounded by even more love. Even though the family, friends, and community he left behind will always mourn such a tragic loss, they all feel some comfort in knowing that he gave his life trying to save another.