Corey Brown

Corey Benard Brown was born May 27, 1982, to the parents of Silas Brown III and Ira Dell Pope in Carthage, Texas. He was raised under the love and care of both the Pope Quarter and Holland Quarter communities. This village nurtured him and instilled in him the foundation of family, unconditional love, togetherness, and taking care of one another.

Corey was a very playful child. Even as a young child, he loved people and never met a stranger. He was loud, a jokester, and loved to have a good time. He was very protective of those he called friends and family and his competitive nature was very evident at a young age. This would continue throughout his later life. 

Corey began his education at Turner Head Start and attended Carthage ISD schools. He was a Carthage High School Class of 2000 graduate. Corey was a member of the Battling Bulldog Band, CHS Broadcast Journalism, and the Carthage Bulldog football team. After high school, Corey attended Panola College. 

At an early age, Corey united with Sunny Grove Church of God in Christ/First Assembly COGIC. He loved church and was very active, singing in the choir, playing the drums, attending Sunday School and being a part of the Sunshine Band. At an early age, he accepted Christ as his Lord and Saviour. 

Corey was always business savvy and a visionary. His gift for creating, managing and operating led him to managing a local Pizza Hut restaurant at the age of 16. He continued to manage restaurants while living in Georgia and later served as General Manager for multiple Sonic-Drive Ins throughout east Texas.  At the time of his death, he was an Engineering Supervisor at MicroMetl Corporation in Longview, Texas. He loved not only the work he was blessed to do at his job, but also the people he had been called to lead. His entrepreneurial success was realized through his custom apparel t-shirt business. He was a master negotiator and wouldn’t stop until a deal had been made, always in his favor. Before he had the chance to pursue his next business venture, the Lord called him to a higher assignment. 

Corey was a proud father to two children. His daughter, Kyla and son, Cobey, were his pride and joy. Corey enjoyed being an involved father, always encouraging and pushing his children to be good people, do their best in everything, help others, and to love family. He enjoyed spending time with them shopping for their favorite sneakers, watching football games, being with them at basketball tournaments, riding the ATV, and just hanging out at the house. He was relentless in his persuasion to make sure both of his children became Carthage Bulldogs. 

Corey was a family man. He loved his family, immediate and extended, and he believed in spending time together, no matter if it was dancing, trail riding, or riding ATVs. Most of all, he loved to cook and host family gatherings and get-togethers. He always said, “just come, don’t bring anything.”

Corey had an enthusiastic passion for youth and basketball. His vision was always to bring premiere basketball experiences and opportunities to young athletes. Corey’s first basketball organization he started was the PC Ballerz. Later, he established East Texas Hoops, providing local youth with opportunities to hone their basketball skills and develop their love of the game. His vision was expanded and the desire to build a top tier program in east Texas that could compete with teams all over the world, led him to establish the Dream Chasers AAU Basketball organization. Corey believed that young people should be able to chase their dreams - he was building pathways and bridges for them to do just that. It was basketball, but it was more than just basketball. Starting with just one team, the organization grew to multiple teams that played AAU competitive basketball in tournaments all throughout Texas and several other states. Through the organization, he was blessed to award Chasing the Dream scholarships to several local graduating seniors. 

Corey’s love for his hometown led him to join with a team of local volunteer coaches to bring the best youth sports experience to the Carthage community. He was instrumental in building a team of volunteer coaches who were committed to players, families, and the community. He understood the sport was competitive, but the goal for both the Carthage Youth Football and Basketball leagues was to build kids up and encourage them to grow, love the sport, and be great team players. At the end of the day, it was important that the purpose remained to develop a group of young people who would do great things in all aspects of their life. Joining the Tri-County Youth Football Alliance deepened the reach in achieving this goal. This partnership enabled multiple counties in East Texas to come together and have a deeper impact on young athletes all across the state, modeling for them how to pour back into their communities in a positive way.  

Corey was also able to fulfill his love for the game through refereeing.  He cherished the camaraderie established among this brotherhood and saw it as another opportunity to fulfill his calling and love for the game, while establishing lifetime friendships with a great group of people. He was involved in his community - volunteering, donating his resources - his time, expertise, and finances to support others in accomplishing their goals and fulfilling their mission. He served on the boards of both the Longview Basketball Association and the Tri-County Youth Football Alliance, where he was Vice-President, serving the North Division. Wherever he was called to serve, he did so with purpose and impact. His commitment to empowering young people and serving his community will inspire generations to come, leaving a lasting legacy in the hearts of the youth he guided and the community he helped build.

Corey was preceded in death by his father, Silas Brown III, maternal grandparents Bennie and Diamond Pope, paternal grandparents Silas and Ella Mae Brown, as well as several aunts, uncles and cousins. 
Leaving to cherish his memories are his daughter, Kyla Brown, and son, Cobey Brown; his mother, Ira Dell Brown, a brother Patrick Brown, and four sisters: Monica Ingram (Raymond), Shalmica Bell (De’adriane) , Isha Brown, and Nakia Blunt; nephews: Ja’Corbian Brown, Darrian Ingram, Kadadriane Bell, Niquelle Ross, Frank Monk, Amajah Lewis and Kyrun Burkes; nieces Sharmetria Brown, Shaketria Sparks, Destinee Ingram, Diamond Brown, Ayanna Greene, Emyiah Waggoner, and Jyah Cooksey. He loved his great nephews Kason, Zy’aire, Delauni, Korbynn, Jordan and Jace. He leaves behind a host of cousins, family and friends that loved him dearly.

Funeral Service

for

Corey Brown

Saturday, February 14, 2026

1:00 PM

Carthage High School

Performing Arts Building

1600 W. Panola

Carthage, Texas 75633

Visitation

Friday, February 13, 2026

5:00 PM - 7:00 PM

Black's Funeral Home

Ruth Lovely Memorial Chapel 

641 East Sabine St.

Carthage, Texas 75633

Interment

Pine Grove Cemetery

Holland Quarters, Texas 75633

To send flowers to the family, please visit our floral store.