William Brodie
October 10, 1924 — June 24, 2013
A memorial service celebrating the life of William T. Brodie, 88, of Granville will be held at 4:00 P.M. Sunday, June 30, 2013 at the United Church of Granville, 115 W. Broadway, Granville with Rev. Dwight P. Davidson as celebrant. The family will receive friends Saturday from 2-4 and 6-8 P.M. at the McPeek-Hoekstra Funeral Home, 133 S. Prospect St., Granville.
Bill died Monday, June 24, 2013 at Kobacker House in Columbus. He was born October 10, 1924 in Batavia, New York to the late William P. and Ruth E. (Johnson) Brodie.
During WWII, Bill proudly served his country in the U.S. Navy as a Lieutenant JG aboard the U.S.S. Portsmouth.
A graduate of Swarthmore College and Rutgers University, Bill held degrees in ceramic and mechanical engineering. Technical director of Mansfield Plumbing Products, Bill was innovative in developing various slip recipes and a blunge technique. He also worked for the Elger Company and American Standard, Inc.
After retirement, Bill ran his own consulting business during which he traveled extensively to Thailand, Malaysia and China where he was referred to as 'Colonel Sanders'. He greatly enjoyed fly fishing, gardening, and later in life, scuba diving. He loved to cook whether it was for a houseful of people or preparing mini-meals for friends recovering from an illness. An Eagle Scout, his warm heart and compassion for others made him a strong and commendable civil rights leader during earlier years where his work included the tutoring of African-American students. He volunteered for Habitat for Humanity in Africa where the locals called him "Papa". On June 3, 2000, Bill was awarded the Swarthmore College Arabella Carter Award for Community Service. A long time church member, he was most recently a member of the United Church of Granville. He was also a member of Granville Rotary, Kappa Sigma Fraternity and the American Ceramic Society.
Surviving are his wife of 36 years, Julia D. Brodie of the home; sons and daughters-in-law, Bruce and Amie Brodie of Oregon, Eden and Patsy Brodie of Strongsville, Chris and Gini Brodie of Olathe, KS; step-sons and daughters-in-law, William Davison and Nancy Haegel of Pacific Grove, CA, and Tim and Sarah Davison of Granville; grandchildren, Cameron, Alex, Emily, Aaron, Jess, Josh, Andrew (Rene), Rachel, Tyson, and Kristin (Anthony); and special friend, EB Jo.
In addition to his parents, Bill is preceded in death by one sister, Marta Greene. Online condolences may be expressed at www.mcpeekhoekstra.com.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests contributions in his memory made to Habitat for Humanity of Ohio, 88 East Broad St., Suite 1800, Columbus, Ohio 43215.