Hon. Archie Cameron Brown
The Hon. Archie Cameron Brown, 75, passed away June 25, 2026.
Judge Brown served 26 years with the Washtenaw County Courts after his appointment to the bench in 1997. In 1999 he was appointed to the Washtenaw County Circuit Court where he was elected for multiple terms prior to his retirement in 2022. He held many supervisory roles, serving as chief judge of the Washtenaw County Circuit Court, chief judge of the Washtenaw County Trial Court, chief judge of the Washtenaw County Probate Court and then assigned to the Family, Business Court, and Criminal Divisions of the Circuit Court.
He loved the law and prized his time teaching as an Adjunct Professor of Law at Cooley Law School in Lansing. He served on the Representative Assembly of the State Bar of Michigan and was parliamentarian for a term. He also served on the Rules Committee of the Michigan Judges Association, the Washtenaw County Criminal Justice Collaborative Council as chairperson, and the Family Division Joint Rules Committee of the Supreme Court. His many professional memberships included the Michigan State Bar Foundation, the State Bar of Michigan, the American Bar Association, the Washtenaw County Bar Association, Michigan Judges Association, American Judges Association, American Judicature Society, the Federalist Society, and the Catholic Lawyers Guild. Prior to his service as a judge, he practiced with the law firm Malley & Schroer, followed by the role of counsel for Dever and Dew PC.
Judge Brown was born in Ann Arbor, MI, in 1951 and grew up in Dearborn Heights, MI, and Greenfield, IN, before the family relocated to Ann Arbor. He graduated from Pioneer High School, received his B.S. from Eastern Michigan University and his J.D. from the University of Detroit Mercy School of Law.
He played many sports and continued with golf throughout his life. He played trombone in junior high school, then switched instruments when the marching band needed someone tall to play the sousaphone and he fit the bill. He was an avid season ticket holder for University of Michigan football. He had a lifelong interest in studying history, had a wry sense of humor and loved telling jokes.
Before embarking on his legal career, he obtained his private pilot’s license and worked as an air traffic controller at Willow Run Airport and Muskegon County Airport, where he was instrumental serving with the PATCO union fighting for better working conditions.
Judge Brown and his wife, Barbara LaHood, were deeply involved in their faith and very active in civic and charitable community organizations. Among other groups, he served on the board of World Medical Relief and the GEE Edmondson Academy (Charter School). He and his wife also enjoyed traveling together and visited Scotland to explore the family heritage as he was the fifth generation of Archie Browns of the McEwen line, Clan Lamont.
He was preceded in death by his parents, Hugh and Ella May “Randy” Brown. He is survived by his wife, Dr. Barbara J. LaHood, sister Nancy (Michael, deceased) Flood, brother Randy (Carla) Brown, sister Kat (Jim Blaszkowski) Brown and many other relatives.
Friends and family are invited to a funeral mass at Christ the King Catholic Church, 4000 Ave Maria Drive, Ann Arbor, MI, on Friday, July 17, 2026. Visitation will begin at 10 am followed by mass at 11 am.
In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to Christ the King Catholic Church in Ann Arbor or Dawn Farm in Ypsilanti.
Rupp Funeral Home is assisting the family with funeral arrangements. Online condolences may be sent to www.ruppfuneralhomeinc.com.
