Fmr. Kentucky Gov. John Y. Brown Jr. laid to rest

FRANKFORT, Ky. (WKYT) - A former Kentucky Governor and well-known businessman was laid to rest on Wednesday.

On Wednesday, a private service for John Y. Brown jr. was held at the state capital.

The service took place at 2:00 p.m. and was broadcasted statewide on KET.

John Y. Brown, Jr. passed away last week. Brown was governor of Kentucky from 1979 to 1983 and is credited with making KFC a worldwide and household name.

A public visitation for Brown happened Tuesday.

We were there as Brown’s casket, flanked by a state police honor guard, was led into the capital and set up at the foot of the Abraham Lincoln statue.

Brown died at the age of 88, and people say his legacy is running the state as a business, owning several sports teams and how he took Kentucky Fried Chicken to new heights from a simple purchase with other investors.

‘’It brings back a lot of good memories. Because he was an adjustment. As you know, he came in and did a lot of things differently,” said former governor Martha Layne Collins. “And he had a lot of ideas and a lot of contacts. And then it made my job easier when it was time to look for more economic development and more growth.”

“He would call me and say I don’t like the way the football team is playing or the basketball team,” said the founder of Host Communications, Jim Host. “And I would say, ‘John, they are going to be better.’ Well, let’s go to practice,’ we would call up Cal and go to practice.”

Host and Brown differed politically, but he says they could agree to disagree. A trait lost in many today.

“He was a super positive person,” Host said. “He’s probably one of the best sales and marketing people ever.”

Senator Reggie Thomas says Brown had a major influence on him as a young adult.

“And pulled me aside and says, you know, he called me Reggie, you know Reggie Thomas, we need young men like you involved in politics,” Senator Thomas said. “I want to encourage you to stay the course and continue to get involved because we need to hear voices like yours. I never will forget that.”

While he was lying in state, John Y Brown jr was in a Kentucky-flag-draped casket, but it was switched to an American flag as the state police honor guard carried him to the hearse because of his time served in the military.

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