Herbert F. "Steve" Brodie

Herbert Brodie Obituary

WANTAGE -- Herbert F. 'Steve' Brodie, 96, passed away on Wednesday, March 4, 2009, after a brief illness at Barn Hill Care Center in Newton. The staff of Compassionate Care Hospice was at his bedside, for which his family is most grateful. Born on Jan. 23, 1913 in a New York City taxicab, Mr. Brodie was the son of the late John and Mary Brodie. Later his family moved to Dumont, where he grew up to be a local athlete and was voted into DumontÕs Sports Hall of Fame for his baseball and football records. A bricklayer by trade, in the 1940s he moved to Baltimore, Md., where he met his wife, Edith J. Langley, who predeceased him in 1997 at the age of 81, and after 53 years of marriage.

Shortly after the bombing of Pearl Harbor, at the age of 29, Mr. Brodie enlisted in the U.S. Navy. He was a GunnerÕs Mate 1st Class and served 38 months, 26 of which were at sea. He first served on an Aircraft Carrier, the USS Belleau Wood CVL-24, and later on the minesweeper, USS Dunlin AM-361. After the war, he made his family home in Englewood, continuing his masonry career in New York City and retiring in 1975 as a Gold Card Member of Local 1 of the Bricklayers and Allied Craft Workers Union. During his 34 years in Englewood, he served as both coach and umpire for Little League and Babe Ruth Baseball teams, and was a member of the local V.F.W. Post.

In 1978, Mr. Brodie moved to Palm Coast, Fla., where he became a life member of V.F.W. Post No. 8696. He and his wife returned to New Jersey in 1997 to live with their daughter and son-in-law, where they lived for the next 12 years.

Besides his parents and his wife, Mr. Brodie was predeceased by his two brothers, Harold and James.

He is survived by his son, John S. Brodie and his wife, Claire Ann, of Saddle Brook; his loving daughter, Brenda B. Rauch and her husband, Bernie, with whom he lived in Wantage; his sister, Mary M. Schaack of Calabash, N.C.; and his three grandchildren, Rachel B. Rauch, Kristie A. Brodie and John T. Brodie.

Funeral services will be held at 8:30 p.m. on Monday at the Pinkel Funeral Home, 31 Bank Street (Route 23), Sussex. Friends may pay their respects to the family on Monday from 2 to 4 and 7 to 8:30 p.m. Private cremation services will be held at the convenience of the family.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests that memorial donations may be made in Mr. BrodieÕs memory to the United States Navy Memorial, 701 Pennsylvania Ave. N.W., Suite 123, Washington, DC 20004-2608.

To plant trees in memory, please visit the Sympathy Store.

Published by The New Jersey Herald on Mar. 6, 2009.

Memories and Condolences
for Herbert Brodie

Sponsored by Brenda Rauch, a loving daughter.

1 Entry

Brian Salisbury

July 19, 2009

Dear Brenda and Bernie:

I wanted to finally get back to you to add a few words regarding my memories of your father.

I'll always think of him as a very energetic and friendly man. Even when I was an adolescent, he'd speak to me as an adult. He was a "straight shooter" who said what was on his mind and gave good advice in a way that even a kid could appreciate.

I remember him umpiring many of my Little League baseball games. Occasionally, he gave me helpful pointers about my swing or how to hit a ball when I was at bat, and how to be a better fielder when playing first base.

When I was a teenager, I happened to see your father in downtown Englewood when he was selling "Buddy Poppies" prior to Memorial Day to raise funds for U.S. war veterans.

I was embarrassed because I had absolutely no money in my pockets to buy a poppy and contribute to the veterans. Your father didn't hesitate a second when I told him about my lack of funds. He reached into his wallet and pulled out a dollar bill and said, "I'll make a donation for you. You can pay me back."

When I visited your house in Sussex County more than 40 years after this "loan," I finally paid your father back -- with interest. At first he didn't want to take the money. He insisted that I contribute it to the veterans' fund. I explained that he'd already made the contribution for me and that the money was his.

A few years later, again at your home in Sussex, he mentioned to me that he'd recently developed osteoporosis and was taking medicine for it. He said he wasn't too concerned because "the enemy couldn't kill me during the war, and this isn't going to kill me now."

As you know, my father was also in the Navy and a veteran of World War II like your dad.

When my father died, I'd hoped to find an essay or poem that I could use to capture my feelings toward him. I found something better -- something my father had written himself a few years earlier to eulogize a fellow shipmate. I think those same words are appropriate for your father -- appropriate for their message and appropriate because they'd be from one Navy veteran to another.

Here's what may father wrote:

When I was in the Navy, I once attended the funeral of a shipmate. After the regular military service ended, the chaplain said this to us:

"Our shipmate is not gone, he has been transferred. But he is not going to another ship, another station or navy yard. He has been assigned to the staff of our Supreme Commander.

"This is a great assignment. There are no night watches, battle stations, storms, reefs, rocks or shoals. The weather is warm, the sandy beaches are pure and white, and the breezes blow softly.

“All hands look for this assignment. And if we live as we should and strive to make a better place for others as He has done for us, we too will join our shipmates.

“It is the same for our shipmate today. He has not gone. We grieve because he is not with us to laugh and joke, but we rejoice in the knowledge that he is now with our Supreme Commander."

I can picture your dad surrounded by old shipmates and new friends. He's got a new crowd to enjoy his stories and jokes. I bet he's got the Supreme Commander smiling and I bet he's giving Him some sage advice.

Love and comfort from Lynne and Brian