by ASA Staff
R.A. “Rob” Brown Jr. of Throckmorton, Texas, passed away peacefully Friday, November 7, 2025. Brown was an early leader in the Simmental breed, serving as president of the ASA Board of Trustees in 1974.
Rob was born on April 4, 1936, to Valda (Thomas) Brown and R.A. Brown Sr. He was the fourth generation raised on the family’s R.A. Brown Ranch, where his love of the land and livestock began. His children and grandchildren loved hearing him reminisce of his childhood adventures of cowboying, hunting, and fishing.
He graduated from Throckmorton High School in 1954, where he enjoyed athletics, stock showing, and rodeoing. At the age of 15, he met the love of his life, Peggy Donnell. Rob and Peggy pursued their degrees at Texas Tech University in the 1950s, where they were both active leaders in multiple student organizations. They married in 1957. Rob earned his BS in Animal Husbandry in 1958 while battling dyslexia before much was known about its challenges. He attributes his diploma to the help of his beloved Peg. Their love and service to Texas Tech has been passed down through generations and recently earned the family the inaugural Texas Tech Davis College Family Legacy Award.
After graduation, they returned to the family ranch and raised their four children. Over the decades, Rob cemented the diverse legacy of the R.A. Brown Ranch with a Quarter Horse breeding program focused on meeting a cowboy’s needs; seedstock herds of various cattle breeds, including SimGenetics; commercial cow-calf herds; as well as stocker, cattle feeding, and wheat farming operations. While they were busy running a ranch and raising a family, they modeled service and leadership. Rob was a leader and innovator in the ranching industry, holding national roles including American Quarter Horse Association (AQHA) President and Director, National Cattlemen’s Beef Association Director, Texas Southwest Cattle Raisers Association Director, and American Simmental Association Board president, among others. Rob received industry honors, including being inducted into the Livestock Industry Hall of Fame Saddle and Sirloin Club, the AQHA Hall of Fame, honored as the nation’s top rancher with the Golden Spur Award, and many other recognitions in the agriculture industry. He helped establish the Texas Ranch Roundup, the world’s first ranch rodeo, as an effort to maintain the traditions of cowboys and working horses, while raising money for local charities.
Rob was an avid outdoorsman and had many memorable hunting and fishing adventures with family and friends. He shared this love with his children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren, leaving them with many special memories and life lessons. Always a dog lover, Rob raised many ranch terriers and bird dogs. Rob was passionate about the ranch, and “making a circle” in his red Ford pickup was a daily necessity even in his later years. Checking his mares and foals was his favorite circle to make, proudly pointing out his prized gray horses.
He is survived by his wife of 68 years, Peggy Brown, and children Betsy Bellah and husband Jody of Throckmorton; Rob A. Brown and wife Talley of Stinnett, Texas; Marianne McCartney and husband Todd of Throckmorton; and Donnell Brown and wife Kelli of Throckmorton. He is also survived by 17 grandchildren, 26 great-grandchildren, brother-in-law George Donnell, and many beloved nieces, nephews, and friends.
