Dr. Gerald Brown, 69, founder of one of Chicago’s first cats-only hospital in the city and an avid runner and skier, died of complications from lung cancer Sunday, Feb. 8, in Northwestern Memorial Hospital. Born and raised in Bayonne, N.J., Dr. Brown moved to East Lansing, Mich., to attend Michigan State University. It was while he was completing his degree in veterinary medicine that Dr. Brown met his wife, Janice, on a blind date. He proposed to her two days later on New Year’s Eve. “My sister was dating his roommate, and they came home for New Year’s Eve,” Janice Brown said. “I didn’t take him seriously, but he was persistent.” After they married in September 1958, Dr. Brown served two years in the U.S. Army, stationed in Chicago, and worked at a veterinary hospital. That’s when the couple fell in love with the city, his wife said. They took in everything, including the first Taste of Chicago, sailing on the lake and trips down Maxwell Street. “He adored Maxwell Street,” his wife said. “He cried when they closed it.” While running his own veterinary practice, Dr. Brown noticed that the feline patients were more stressed in the waiting room than the canine patients. Dr. Brown started limiting his care to cats. Eventually, he started the cats-only City Cat Doctor Feline Medical Center, 600 N. Wells St., in 1994, his wife said. A long-distance runner, Dr. Brown ran in the first Chicago Marathon and continued running for more than 10 years. Dr. Brown also enjoyed skiing and took numerous trips to Colorado, Jackson Hole, Wyo., Utah, Canada and the Swiss Alps. “He did it all. He tried everything,” his wife said. Survivors include two daughters, Lorieand Shelley; his mother, Miriam; a sister, Rhina Koster; and two grandsons. A memorial service will be held at 1 p.m. Wednesday in B’nai Emunah Congregation, 9131 Niles Center Rd., Skokie.
