Sherwood Brady

What you called Sherwood Brady depended on when you met him. For family and friends since childhood he was “Bud” a name that was bestowed on him by his older sister when she couldn't say "brother.” After 1956, he was known as “Doc” which he was tagged with when he went to work for Pratt & Whitney Aircraft. To those who knew him best, he was Dad, Grandpa and Great Grandpa. Sherwood was born on December 6, 1914 in St Paul, Minnesota to Frank and Hilda Brady. The story of his name was that Hilda named him after a small town in South Dakota - and never added a middle name or initial. Sherwood was blessed with a beautiful singing voice and music always played a major role in his life. With his sister Ethel as his accompanist they became a popular wedding/funeral and party duo. in high school he had the singing lead in numerous school productions and was chosen to be the soloist for his graduation class. He was active in the St Paul Civic Opera and later directed the Northwest Airlines choir. Where ever he traveled or lived, there was always a choir to join and almost always he ended up the director. in 1936 he met Esther Pett of Enderlin, North Dakota. She was a nurse at Anchor Hospital in St Paul. They were married on August 19, 1939. Sherwood was called into the Army Air Corp in 1943 right before the birth of their son, Kent. When he returned from the war he went to work for Northwest Airlines and he and Esther welcomed their second child, Sheri in 1946. In 1951, Susan joined the family. In 1956 he was offered a position with Pratt & Whitney Aircraft. What he would always call his dream job. Esther packed up their home and they began 20 years of adventure and travel. P & W sent them to Seattle; Marysville, California; Las Vega, Nevada; Japan; Great Falls, Montana; Thailand and then back to Seattle and even a short stay in Korea. Their last assignment was to England, a base from which they traveled extensively. They had come a long way from their early days in Minnesota and North Dakota. Sherwood and Esther retired in 1977 to Renton which was close to all three children. In 2001 due to Esther’s failing health they moved to Puyallup to live with Sheri and her husband Richard. Sherwood lost Esther in 2005 after nearly 66 years of marriage. Sherwood is survived by his children Kent (Paula), Sheri (Richard Puckett) and Susan (Ross Davis); 4 grandchildren and 10 great-grandchildren. A private family graveside was held at Tahoma National Cemetery. A public memorial service will be held on Saturday, June 2, 2 p.m. at Cross and Crown Lutheran Church, 10940 SE 168th St. Renton,WA. 98055. In addition to flowers, memorials may be made to Celebration Lutheran Church, 2500 Shaw Rd. Puyallup, WA. 98374.