John P. "Jack" Brady passed away peacefully in Seasons Hospice at Wilmington Hospital on Monday, July 26, 2021, nine days before his 95th birthday.

Jack was born on August 4, 1926 and grew up on Lancaster Avenue in Wilmington's Union Park Gardens, where his family was the original "Brady Bunch", with three boys and three girls in the household. He grew up during the Great Depression and World War II and those years helped shape the tremendous work ethic and love of country that he demonstrated throughout his life.

Upon graduating from Salesianum School in 1944, Jack immediately enlisted in the United States Navy. In May, 1945, he entered the flight training program, ultimately earning his wings as a Naval Aviator. Jack flew a number of now iconic aircraft while in the Navy, concluding with his piloting PBY Catalina flying boats on search and rescue missions in the Gulf of Mexico while based at Pensacola Naval Air Station in Florida. He served in the Navy until 1947.

Upon returning home, Jack worked in the accounting department at the General Motors plant on Boxwood Road in Wilmington and also acted with the Wilmington Drama League and Catholic Television Guild. He graduated from LaSalle College in Philadelphia with an accounting degree in 1955. That same year, Jack married Claire L. Whelan ("Louise") of Springfield, PA and entered the recently opened Villanova University School of Law. In 1958, he became the School's first graduate from Delaware and its first graduate to pass the Delaware Bar Exam. Jack was admitted to the Delaware Bar in January, 1959 and entered private practice with the firm of Metten, Healy & Collins in Wilmington. He later served as Register of Wills for New Castle County and Judge of the former Orphans Court from 1962 until January, 1967. As Register of Wills, Jack supervised the transition from that Office's archaic method of copying all Wills and probate records by hand into large books over to a microfiche system of recording and indexing. He later served as an Assistant United States Attorney for Delaware until being appointed Secretary and Resident Counsel of Wilmington Savings Fund Society in October, 1968. During Jack's tenure with WSFS, it was at the forefront of banking innovation in the State, introducing an early form of ATMs to Delaware in the early 1970s as part of a joint partnership with Delaware Trust, popularizing debit cards and customer cash back purchase incentives with its WSFS Plan Card, and greatly expanding the number of the Bank's personal checking accounts. The planned introduction of the cash dispensing ATMs, known as Docutels, was vigorously opposed by the State's then-major banks. However, Jack ultimately convinced the federal and state regulators that the venture, which would allow WSFS customers to withdraw funds from automated tellers at Delaware Trust branch locations, was permissible under the Bank's charter and existing banking laws and the complaining banks dropped their opposition and eventually adopted the concept themselves. In a telling bit of irony, those major banks are no longer in existence and WSFS continues to this day.

Jack remained with WSFS until a change in its leadership and resulting negative prospects for the Bank's continued success prompted him to take early retirement in 1984. However, he quickly became bored and missed actively working as an attorney. After serving for a year as a Deputy Attorney General in the Department of Justice civil division representing several Delaware state agencies, Mary McDonough, then Executive Director of Community Legal Aid Society, Inc. and now a Commissioner with the Court of Common Pleas, approached Jack with a proposal to join the agency as a Staff Attorney and work on housing matters "for a little while". He enthusiastically jumped into the position and that "little while" turned into nearly a quarter century of representing tenants in Landlord Tenant cases before he retired for good as CLASI's Senior Attorney in December, 2009 at the age of 83, having worked 50 full years at the Bar.

Jack absolutely loved the law and especially enjoyed prevailing over slum landlords and their representatives. He treasured his years with CLASI and the friendships he made there and his work gave him a great deal of purpose and accomplishment, particularly after Louise passed away in 1994. He was universally respected and admired by Delaware Judges and attorneys throughout his long legal career, culminating in his being awarded the Outstanding Service to the Courts and Bar Award by the Delaware State Bar Association in 2006.

Jack was a gifted and witty story teller and speaker who was immensely proud of his Irish heritage and Wilmington upbringing. He loved spending time with his children and grandchildren, with whom he vacationed in Ocean City, New Jersey for a number of years. He was fond of life's simple pleasures, such as ice cream on the boardwalk in Ocean City, Hershey's chocolate, milk and cookies, and Yuengling beer. He also greatly enjoyed the many meals he shared with his siblings and in-laws at Mrs. Robino's and other area restaurants.

He was preceded in death by his wife of 39 years, Louise, grandson, David F. Brady, parents, Francis A. and Nell (Mealy) Brady, sisters, Eleanor M. Morrison and Mary A. Lemon, and brothers, Joseph H. Brady and Francis A. Brady, Jr.

He is survived by his four children; John F. Brady of Lewes (Julian Zuluaga Castaño), James M. Brady of Kemblesville, PA (fiancée Lisa Grillo), Nancy B. Miller of Nottingham, PA (John), and William P. Brady of Newark (Deborah), six grandchildren, Erin Miller, Ryan Miller, James Miller, Claire Brady, Patrick Brady and Sean Brady, sister, Margaret Brady (Sister Mary Ellen, OP), sister-in-law, Jeanne Brady, and a multitude of nieces and nephews.

Jack lived a long and rewarding life and will be dearly missed by his family and friends.

A Mass of Christian Burial will be held at St. Joseph's on the Brandywine RC Church, 10 Old Church Road, Greenville on Wednesday, August 4th at 10:30 AM. Friends may call on Tuesday evening August 3rd between 5 – 8 PM at Krienen-Griffith Funeral Home at 1400 Kirkwood Highway, Elsmere. Burial will follow Mass at Cathedral Cemetery.

In lieu of flowers, the family suggests contributions to Salesianum School (salesianum.org) or the Delaware Bar Foundation (delawarebarfoundation.org).