Jack H. Brown, executive chairman of Stater Bros. Markets and charitable leader throughout the region, died Sunday evening surrounded by family. He was 78.

Neither the cause nor the location of his death was known, Stater Bros. officials said.

“Grief is not a strong enough word to describe what the Stater Bros. ‘Family’ feels,” Stater Bros. President and CEO Pete Van Helden said in a statement. “Jack touched every one of us in a very personal way, and it is that legacy that we must carry forward. He loved the business, his company and each one of us.”

PHOTOS: Stater Bros. leader Jack Brown dies at 78

Brown joined Stater Bros. in 1981. He served as president and chief executive officer of Stater Bros. Markets for more than 35 years and as chairman for Stater Bros. for more than 30 years.

Under his leadership, Stater Bros. grew to 169 stores with gross sales last year reaching $4.5 billion. It was late last year that Brown stepped down as chief executive officer and took the role of executive chairman.

Brown, a native of San Bernardino, was known for his charitable work on behalf of the community.

He was a model citizen when it came to his employees, his customers and his community, said Carl Dameron, who works closely with The Salvation Army of San Bernardino and other groups that he said benefited from the generosity of Stater Bros.

“Jack Brown’s death is a great loss to our community,” Dameron said. “He was someone who believed in the best of us and he contributed to our economic welfare, our social welfare and he’s also a person who constantly said positive things. He upped the morale of our community.”

Brown was passionate about San Bernardino.

“He could have moved the home base for Stater Bros. out of the Inland Empire, to Orange County or anywhere else, and he didn’t,” Dameron said. “He recommitted to here.”

Over the years, Stater Bros. donated more than half a million dollars in cash donations and hundreds of thousands of pounds in food donations, said Maj. Dan Henderson, who leads The Salvation Army of San Bernardino.

“We couldn’t do what we do without them,” Henderson said. “I wish them not only comfort in this time of loss but also that they take the time to distill Jack’s vision and his passion for the city of San Bernardino and decide how that’s going to carry forward into the future.”

District Attorney Michael A. Ramos knows Brown will be missed by many, “but his legacy will live on.

“He was always such a strong advocate for public safety and our community as a whole,” Ramos said.

As chairman of Stater Bros. Charities, Brown honored San Bernardino Police Chief Jarrod Burguan and the department’s first responders in March with an award for their bravery and heroism, as well as a $50,000 donation to the department, after the Dec. 2 terrorist attack.

Brown was born and raised along San Bernardino’s stretch of Route 66, and grew up to be a beloved philanthropist. In 2008 he established Stater Bros. Charities, which supports a variety of charitable organizations in the community, from Redlands’ annual Believe Walk for Inland women fighting cancer to The Salvation Army in San Bernardino.

Brown was a founder of the Boys and Girls Club of San Bernardino and the founding chairman of Children’s Fund of San Bernardino County.

His well-known community involvement embraced San Bernardino’s car culture, and Stater Bros. Markets became the title sponsor of the Route 66 Rendezvous from 1997 to 2012.

A proud veteran, Brown was fiercely patriotic, having served on active duty with the Pacific Fleet of the U.S. Navy during the Vietnam era.

Brown’s support of the military and the nation’s veterans is renowned. Memorabilia honoring squadrons from the former Norton Air Force Base is showcased at the Stater Bros. corporate offices at San Bernardino International Airport.

In 2004, he received the Friend of the Veteran Award from the Riverside National Cemetery’s Veterans’ Advisory Committee for his continued support of volunteer services to veterans and their families.

Brown also received the Patriot Award in 2011, the highest award the Congressional Medal of Honor Society can bestow upon an individual.

In addition, Brown was a 1992 recipient of a Horatio Alger Award in recognition of his outstanding contributions to America and the “American Dream.”

Brown received many awards for his contributions to the supermarket industry.

Most recently, the California State University Board of Trustees named the Jack H. Brown College of Business and Public Administration for him at Cal State San Bernardino in July.

“His leadership and philanthropy have been a benchmark for others to follow, creating countless opportunities for economic and social growth at every level of his organization,” Cal State San Bernardino President Tomás D. Morales said in an email. “His commitment to the values and sacrifices of those that served our country in the military was unwavering. He championed education, children’s well-being, hunger relief, health, and help for our nation’s veterans.”

Brown is survived by his wife, Debbie; three daughters, J. Kathleen Smith (Michael Smith), Cara Hoffman (Scott Hoffman) and Melissa Koss (Pete Koss); and seven grandchildren, Kaitlyn, Colleen, Caden, Dylan, Julianna, Jack Ryan and Emma.

His burial will be private, for family only, with a memorial to follow at a later date, according to the statement.

Staff writers Ryan Hagen, Mark Muckenfuss, Neil Nisperos and Doug Saunders contributed to this report.