Justin Riley Pagán Brown

Justin Riley Pagán-Brown was born in Whittier, California on October 24, 1997, to Michelle Pagán-Aguiar and Ronald Kevin Brown. He died at the age of 26 on April 24, 2024. Justin unconditionally loved his family, friends, and Gabby, his Jack Russell Terrier.

Justin grew up in Corona, California. He had a passion for collecting spiders from a young age and was fascinated by them. This drove his kindergarten teacher crazy as he would rally other boys during recess to collect spiders with him and bring them back into the classroom in their sandwich bags. As an adult, Justin still laughed about that. He loved going to school and learning. Justin attended Citrus Hills Intermediate and found a passion for acting. He played a role in Scrooge his first year, which took him and his drama class to perform in downtown Riverside during Christmas. He then played a role in Grease. In sixth grade Justin and his good friend Tanner Ralls won the science fair. They went on to the County competition and also won. Again, they moved on to the state competition for their project in engineering relating to rust prevention and received honorable mention being so young. Justin never missed a day of school until a football injury his senior year.

Justin played catcher, center field and outfield in little league. He tried his hand at basketball as well and loved that sport until he was introduced to football. He started playing for the Corona Chargers Junior League and they were champions three years in a row. He couldn’t wait for high school football.

While in high school at Santiago he was an excellent student and in AP classes. He was able to manage a tough schedule with football and homework. Justin was a varsity letterman in Santiago football, and he loved being a running back. He worked out like crazy and gave his all at practice and games. He was one of the strongest kids on his team and excelled at weightlifting.

Justin loved watching the TV show “The Office” and thought that was one of the funniest shows. He enjoyed riding dirt bikes and learned at a young age. Some of the many family camping trips and Santiago High School family trips were to Ocotillo Wells, Gorman, Calico, and the Lake Elsinore track. He loved going to Havasu and the Parker Strip during the summer and enjoyed wakeboarding, tubing and heading out on the wave-runners. He loved being on and in the water. Justin quickly learned to love going on cruises and went to the Caribbean twice with his mom. He loved the island life and had another trip planned for September 2024, to visit Oahu. Justin went on many trips with his mom and his friends where he spent a lot of time fishing and enjoying all the amenities the resorts had to offer. He loved room service and thought that was the neatest thing.

Justin also went on many father and son road trips; like snowmobiling in Yellowstone National Park, backpacking Sequoia National Park, and snow skiing in Montana. He loved rollercoasters and visited Cedar Point Amusement Park and then from there he and his father went on to Niagara Falls in New York. Another highlight was a high school football father-son rafting trip on the Merced River. All these adventures led him to taking a backpacking trip with friends in the Sierras. On the way to college at Washington State University, Justin and his father stopped in Seattle for horseback riding, the Duck Tour and enjoyed all the local sights. Justin’s last trip was to Pittsburg. His father surprised him for his birthday and they went to see the Pittsburg Steelers, which was his favorite football team. Justin had a lot of good memories to share from that trip.

Justin was preceded in death by Paternal Grandparents, Clifford and Margaret Brown and Aunt, Jaqueline Robinson.

Justin is survived by Mother, Michelle Pagán; Father, Ronald Brown (Wife, Jessie Brown), Maternal Grandparents, Roger and Mary Weber; Paternal Uncles, Kenny Brown and Randy Brown; Maternal Uncles, Paul Pagán, William DiMartino, Mark Criddle; Maternal Aunts, Maureen DiMartino and Glory Criddle; Paternal Aunt, Edith Lloyd; Maternal Cousins Ryan and Jessie DiMartino, and Bryce and Hunter Criddle; and loved by many cousins and extended family in Chicago and Louisiana.