The Two Million Mile Man

December 2025

Sinclair Browning

Is going your way!

Jeff Brown is well-equipped for his job as a volunteer for Senior Village. He started driving his own Freightliner cross-country as an independent contractor for Atlas Van Lines in 1980 with his brother Steve. Six years later, Jeff relocated to California.   “It worked out well for both of us,” he says, “because Steve had a home in Philadelphia and I had one in San Diego so we had places to stay near both ends of our runs.”

Born in Abington, Pennsylvania, Jeff excelled in math and science and thought he would follow an engineering career like his father.  But he liked being outside and the lure of the open road and travel hooked him.  He was driver number 468 for Atlas when he started and drove for them for  40 years.  Today, there are now more than 10,000 drivers listed on the roster. When he retired, Jeff was driving a very customized Kenworth that, like many other rigs on the road,  averaged 6 mpg loaded or empty.

After Trish, his wife of 35 years, passed away two years ago, Jeff began thinking about leaving California.   Drawn to Saddlebrooke for the golfing, climate and all the available activities, he moved here earlier this year.  It didn’t take him long to jump into the volunteer pool and the Going My Way team was a natural fit for him.

Remember your driver’s test when you first got your license?  Senior Village is no different, as all of their drivers are vetted before they are assigned members whom they will then drive to doctor’s appointments, grocery shopping, and on other errands.   On Jeff’s test, after asking what he did for a living, the evaluator quickly asked, “Why am I checking you out?”

In addition to golf, Jeff is an avid reader, gravitating toward the classics, including Homer, Sophocles, and Euripides.  He loves Charles Dickens, likes to eat out as well as barbequing at home, and is a true oenophile with an educated palate for fine wine.

He also likes his new driving gig.  “Helping out people makes me happy,” Jeff says.  “I like doing nice things for them.  Many of the members I meet can’t drive, and having someone take them places helps them stay in their own homes.”

His driving for Senior Village has included picking up a member on the far east side after cataract surgery and chauffeuring an older couple to and from a restaurant so they could celebrate a special occasion.

And those 2 million miles he’s driven in his career?

It’s actually more.