William E. Brandow

Brandow, William E. Dec. 15, 1914 - Dec. 15, 2005 William E. Brandow, age 91, died on his birthday, December 15, 2005 because he was "old-old." He is survived by Ruth Asleson, wife for the last 64 years, daughter Gretchen Bloom (Peter), son Mark (Eileen Custer), son Todd (Federica Matta), son Tim (Kay), son Gregg, and many grandchildren. He was a 1936 graduate of the University of Minnesota School of Business Administration and had been a licensed insurance agent since 1939. In 1941, Bill founded the Gopher Toastmaster Club. He was still an active member at his death. In 1946, he completed three years of service in World War II as a Lieutenant in the U.S. Navy. In 1947, he was the second Minnesotan to earn the professional insurance designation Chartered Property Casualty Underwriter (CPCU). In 1963, he was the senior co-founder of Brandow Howard Kohler and Rosenbloom, Inc. (BHK&R), an insurance agency whose founders were determined to be different by truly serving clients interests before their own. BHK&R grew very rapidly until the second generation of owners sold and merged with A.J. Gallagher Co., in 1995. Bill left Gallagher in 1998 and continued serving his clients as an independent agent and insurance counselor from an office in his home. He was the second president of the Minnesota chapter of the Society of CPCU and also served on the Ethics Committee of the National CPCU Society. Bill was highly regarded for his continuing emphasis on professionalism and ethics in the insurance industry. On January 25, 1989, Bill received a letter from Dr. Edwin S. Overman, CPCU, President of the American Institute for Property and Liability Underwriters and of the Insurance Institute of America. Parts of the letter follow. "Bill, On this auspicious occasion, recognizing your 50 years as an insurance agent, I want to pay tribute to you as one of our most illustrious graduates in the CPCU program. Over the years you have personified all that the CPCU concept stands for. Your deep sense of personal integrity, your intellectual objectivity in your relationships with clients and your determination to become the very best in your profession have combined to epitomize you as a true professional. The embodiment of the "golden rule" philosophy has characterized the Bill Brandow I have known for over 35 years. I salute you, my friend, for your pioneering leadership in our CPCU movement for as long as we have known each other. Your long time friend, Ed." Thereafter each called the other his "guru". He was active for over 60 years in Hennepin Avenue United Methodist and served most recently on the Foundation Board and on the Planned Giving Committee. He was the church's insurance advisor for more than 30 years. Bill also served on the Board of Trustees of the Minnesota Conference of the Methodist Church for 8 years and was their insurance advisor. In addition to their own children, Bill and Ruth enjoyed the year long addition to their family of students from Germany (Gudrun Ziegler), Finland (Magnus Nyberg), Holland (Wim Van Beurden), India (Krishna Dorasami) and Afghanistan (Balram Mehra) as each of their own children entered senior year in Edina High School. Bill was so pleased with the poem written by family poet son Mark, on Father's Day 2004 that he asked it be added to his obituary. "Dad... It has come again Once a year We gather around To loudly cheer! Yea, rah, rah You've done so good– better than any of us Younger Brandows could! Your life has been measured You've lived with a plan- And now we can see Your forethought was grand! So what wisdom would You like to impart- Such that we could have known from the moment we start? But here it is Life's chapters are written And we've all found lives With which we are smitten! I think you've taught us all To be of good service Although I'm sure some of us Have made you a little nervous! Yes, we have all been blessed With a variety of talent And hopefully none of us Has been grossly overspent! Yes, I think the Brandows Are better off than most And for that reason I'll propose a toast Long live a grand old man Happy Father's Day! Love, Mark" Bill's family hopes that you will join them for lunch following his memorial service to be held at the Woman's Club of Minneapolis, 410 Oak Grove Street at 11 am on January 27, 2006. In lieu of flowers, memorials preferred to either Hennepin Avenue United Methodist Church (Lyndale at Groveland Avenue, Minneapolis, MN 55403) or Minnesota Landscape Arboretum (3675 Arboretum Drive, Chaska, MN 55318).
This obituary was originally published in the Star Tribune.