Family Members Find Their Hometown

Sometimes, it takes a while to find your hometown.

Raymond Brown Jr. along with his brother, Butch, and sisters Marilyn and Helen came to Wolf Point early last week in search of their history. Their father, the late Raymond Brown Sr., was born in Wolf Point during 1932. His hope was to bring his children to visit Wolf Point and for them to meet the Kurokawa family. Raymond Sr. and his wife returned to Wolf Point in 1990, and visited his best friend Jim Kurokawa.

“He always wanted us to meet them as well,” Raymond Brown Jr. said. “Whenever he spoke of Wolf Point, he always spoke of Jimmy Kurokawa. His dream was to get us to Wolf Point.”

About a year ago, the siblings made the commitment to make their “bucket list” trip to Wolf Point this September. They all live in the southeast region of the United States. Their father passed away in 1996, and this journey was dedicated to his memory.

“We’ve been planning since father died,” Brown said of the trip. “Life kept getting in the way.”

They contacted members of the Kurokawa family prior to their trip and then arrived at the Wolf Point Cafe to meet them on Monday, Sept. 13.

“The Kurokawas started showing up one by one,” Raymond said. “They were the kindest, nicest people. We understand now why our father’s best friend was Jimmy Kurokawa.”

Marilyn added, “I was flooded with emotion.”

She explained that as “military brats,” they moved 27 times as children so they never felt like they had a real hometown.

“We didn’t have a home until we got here,” Marilyn said. “I’m going to say that from now on.”

They said that Donnie Kurokawa served as their tour guide. A special stop was a house on Custer Street where their father was born in 1923. They explain that their grandfather, George Brown, had the house moved to the spot from Oswego.

“We’re walking through our father’s footsteps,” Raymond said. Other stops included the library, museum and Oswego. At the museum, they found a photo of their father as a member of Wolf Point’s band at the dedication of the Roosevelt County Courthouse in 1940. They also went to the Northeast Montana Veterans Memorial at Fort Peck and purchased a brink in their father’s memory. Another treat was having breakfast with Art Kurokawa, 93, who had fond memories of Raymond Sr. sharing fun times with Jimmy Kurokawa including fishing at Wolf Creek. Other people at the restaurant joined in the conversion and shared their memories.

“Our expectations were far exceeded,” Raymond Jr. said of the time in Wolf Point. “We didn’t realized how welcoming and receiving people are.”

This may not be the last time that at least one of the Brown family members come to Wolf Point. Ray Jr., who is in the motion pictures’ industry, feels that the Kurokawa family and Wolf Point Cafe would be a great subject for a documentary.