James S. Brady, Jr.

James S. Brady, Jr., 86, a life-long Bowie resident, died January 25, 2010 at his home in Clermont, Florida. He suffered complications as a result of throat cancer. Jim was many things to many people: loving husband to Lorriane; devoted father to Brenda and Glenda; supportive father-in-law to David and Mark; proud grandfather/step-grandfather to Jennifer, Jeffrey, Staci, Priscilla, Dave and Liza; dedicated member of the Suburban Lions Club; fun-loving Uncle; loyal friend to many; and faithful companion to Ellen Ostmann. Likewise he was a consistent personality: a fun-loving, smiling gregarious rascal to whom no one was a stranger; when he met you he quickly learned your name and you became his friend. He treasured his family, his friendships and fellowship. Whether you called him Jim, Jimmy, Mr. B., Mr. Brady, Uncle James or Dad, he had the gift of making you feel like you were the most special person in the world to him. Born in 1923 to James S. Brady, Sr. and Gertrude Herb Brady, Jim spent his early years at the Woodward Plantation in Bowie, living with his parents in the lodging area of Belair Stables where his father and uncle worked. Later in his life when the stables were undergoing historic restoration, Jim assisted his sister, Thelma Gasch, in donating Brady furniture and photos to the facility. As recently as last summer, Jim again visited Belair Stables and once again shared story after story with the docent about the one-time nationally renowned and triple crown award-winning horse farm. While he was still a child, Jim's parents then moved him and his sister, Thelma, to the High Bridge area of Bowie, where as a family then ran a country store adjacent to the WB&A Railroad. Jim attended Bowie Elementary School and then Bladensburg High School, where he played on the basketball team and worked on the school newspaper. He was proud to have been a part of the 1941 graduating class of Bladensburg High School and regularly attended his high school reunions. Unable to serve in the armed forces, Jim's first job was as an apprentice in the Engineering Section of the U.S. Naval Department in Washington, D.C. By the late 1940's, Jim had already tired of his long walk back and forth to Bowie to commute into Washington, D.C., and he began driving a school bus for the Prince George's County Public Schools in addition to working on the tobacco farm his family had recently bought. In 1949, Jim fell in love with and married Lorraine Joyce Shipe of Laurel. Being a skilled carpenter, he soon thereafter built a home for him and Lorraine on the family farm in High Bridge. After the birth of their first daughter, Brenda Lorraine, Jim continued working as a tobacco farmer and school bus driver, plus at night he sold tickets at Rosecroft Racetrack to support his young family. In the mid-to-late 1950's, Jim and Lorraine decided to work together to form a rental home business. Thereafter, during summer breaks from school bus driving, Jim would build houses on the farm. Likewise, he bought and sold additional real estate, ultimately having a successful rental business which he ran until his death. After the birth of his second daughter, Glenda Joyce in 1959, Jim determined to have a secure career in transportation with the Prince George's County Board of Education. As the years passed, he was promoted from school bus driver, to Driver Trainer, to Safety Officer and finally to Area Supervisor of Transportation (Northern Area) for the Prince George's County Public Schools. Jim ultimately retired from the school system with 36 dedicated years of service. In addition to his family, Jim was most proud of his membership in the Suburban Lions Club of Glenn Dale, Maryland. Having joined the club in the early 1950's, he was a dedicated loyal member who held many offices. In his later years, one of his greatest joys was to travel to North Carolina with his very special Lions "buddies" - Lions Harry Guerrieri, Tom Lindsey, Frank Halley and Lee Rapp to bring back the Christmas trees and wreaths the club would sell as their annual fund-raiser. For decades, both he and Lorraine valued the loving friendships they made in the Club. In 1966 Jim and Lorraine bought a home by the water in Piney Point, Maryland. They both quickly fell in love with the area and generously entertained friends and relatives endlessly with soft and hard crabs, water skiing, fishing and lots of frivolity. After Lorraine's sudden death in 1994, Jim continued to run his rental business. He eventually became dear friends with Ellen Ostmann and thoroughly enjoyed helping her garden and doing home repairs. In 2005, Jim decided to buy a home in Florida, near Orlando, where he could enjoy the warmer winters. Locating only six miles from Disney World, Jim enjoyed the last winters of his life actively by making new friends, playing cards and shuffleboard, and thoroughly enjoying neighborhood parties. With Ellen living nearby in the same community, caring friends and neighbors nearby, and blue skies almost every day, Florida quickly became his favorite place to live and where he chose to spend his final days. In January 2009, Jim was diagnosed with throat cancer. He decided to have the cancer treated at the Central Florida Cancer Institute where the talented and compassionate staff of doctors and nurses, as well as his two daughters, helped him through both radiation and chemotherapy. He proved to be a tough man and a good patient, which, combined with his love of life and strong will to live, successfully saw him through the treatments. When he returned to Bowie in the spring of 2009, Jim hired the most compassionate and respectful of caretakers, Zviad Baramia, or "Z", to be his companion. They quickly became great friends, and last fall Jim decided to return to his home in Florida for the winter, with "Z" by his side. When Jim's cancer returned in December, he decided he wanted to remain at his home in Florida. Until the end of his life, he smiled, laughed, enjoyed and appreciated every day and, of course, told a good joke now and then. To know him was to love him. His kindness knew no bounds. He will be missed.