Carol Fisher-Linn
It hurts my heart to be asked to write a tribute for a young man so dearly loved by his family, his community, his friends, and those who benefitted from his kind heart and his sense of humor, both of which he shared in abundance. “Moose” Brown died on Thursday morning, September 5, 2024 at his home surrounded by his loved ones.
At 64, (born 8/7/1960 in Oakville, Ontario, Canada) Chris aka “Moose” lived life to its fullest. Married for 44 years to the former Victoria (Vicky) Eckley, who survives, he was the son of the late “King” Ken Brown and Betty Anderson Brown. Surviving besides his wife are his twin daughters, Isabella and Gwendolyn Brown, his sister, Kimberley Brown, and his step-mom, MJ Brown.
Moose and Vicky owned and operated The Ski Depot in the Village and then later The Ellicottville Depot Restaurant. The Depot became a gathering spot for winter sports enthusiasts (and Bills games) from near and far. His old friend who knew him in Canada, Antwan Clayton, said this of Chris. “Moose” was larger than life.” Niki Klein said the same words, adding what great fun he was, and how he always was the welcoming face of The Depot Restaurant.
Jane and Dennis Eshbaugh had this to say: “Ellicottville is special and unique, full of colorful characters. Moose was definitely one of those characters. He made the Depot into Freestyle Central and he and Vicky were supportive of Freestyle skiers and their free spirit lifestyle. Moose and Vicky were not afraid to be unique – upside down Christmas trees, so many interesting items in their restaurant. Great place to play “I spy with my little eyes!” But didn’t always play by the rules.
Moose was the top cheerleader of the Rat Pack (freestyle skiers in the 80’s – 90’s. He encouraged people like Jillian Vogtli and Alex Wilson. He was part of the mystique of Greg Stump Productions and he introduced Glenn Plake to Ellicottville.” The Eshbaugh’s echoed what so many said about Moose. First and foremost, even through their sadness, people had to smile when talking about this amiable big guy. They said, “He could bring the party any time any day, but when it was a big party, he was all in.” They mentioned the early days of the Birdwalk Regatta which he supported and often hosted and then had to one-up the race one year with a Mud Rally. Of course, Mike Nenno reminds us that we can’t forget the Bartender Races that needed and got his support.
Everyone who knew him knew what a huge Rolling Stones fan he was and how far he would go to find a way to see them perform even if he was on the other side of the country, (maybe even having to ‘mea culpa’ to Vicky after the fact). The source of this story shall remain anonymous, but Vegas to Ellicottville by way of Baltimore sounds like his M.O. John Weismantel said that he probably had more Rolling Stones memorabilia than did the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
Ski movies were pretty standard fare at the Depot but so were old fashioned family movies. The Eshbaugh’s mentioned a home video that their kids loved – it had a guy skiing down a racecourse with his pants dropped. The Depot had a pretty good formula, say the Eshbaughs. It was the Friday and Saturday home of skiing families then after 9pm it turned into a party bar. But family or party – it was a great formula for running a business, not to mention the great pizza.
There is no visitation. A Celebration of Life will be held at a later date and will be announced so friends and family can gather and celebrate his larger-than-life existence.
Other random comments about Moose: Kyle Benish – “ (he was the) center of a party – always a smile”. Andy Minier: “There were few people in this community that truly can be considered local legends. Moose was at the top of that mountain.”
Jay Sagurney: “Always smiled, gave a thumbs up when we crossed paths.
Joany Bund: “A generous and caring man.”
(Jillian Vogtli can attest to that. Check out her FB tribute.) “Very good to his family; popular with locals; an inspiration to many.”
Shanel Kierz just simply enjoyed his company. Alison Neal said they were first employers, baby sat the girls, loved learning, playing and laughing with them. Katie Worster commented about how he was great creating community. She observed that his customers were loyal to him because they all felt valued by him. Joe Meyers commented that he was full of life, and Tara Bowen makes us all smile when she told this tale: “Moose was an avid singer/dancer toward the end of his shifts at the Depot.”
Listen. Surely, we can still hear him singing. We could say Rest in Peace, but perhaps we need to say, Rest in Joy and laughter as you sing and dance your way through heaven’s pearly gates.