William Brado, 90, left his creative mark on region
But the Seattle businessman, a partner in Rowan Northwestern Decorators, captured more than just family history. His entry for Dec. 7, 1941, reads: "We had a hectic day and it was all in all a very upset day ... THEN JAPAN DECLARED WAR ON US! What will be the end? God help them."
Mr. Brado died in Bellevue on Nov. 8 at the age of 90. His long and varied life included salmon fishing in Alaska, starting up a sign-painting business, creating window displays for Frederick & Nelson, and running Rowan Northwestern with partner Al Rowan.
It is this last occupation for which he was best known. In fact, anyone who lived in Seattle before 1976, the year he retired, is likely to have seen Mr. Brado's work. He, Rowan and their crews created and installed the decorations for civic events such as Seafair, the Seattle World's Fair and the annual sports banquet sponsored by the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, not to mention thousands of trade shows, meetings and special occasions.
Boeing used Rowan exclusively for new-model rollouts and sales presentations.
"They couldn't afford the embarrassment of failure with anyone else," said Mr. Brado's son, Doug Brado, who joined him in the business.
And it was a demanding business, with long and unpredictable hours. The younger Brado said the company never turned away a job, no matter how busy they were, and never failed to do the job well and on time.
Mr. Brado made sure of that.
"His handshake was his bond," said Mr. Brado's wife of 65 years, Lois.
At their condominium in Bellevue Friday, she and her son leafed through old scrapbooks that stirred warm memories. And they gave shape to a man whose spark of creativity always seemed to be lighting up in new directions.
The Brado home, for example, contains stunning examples of Mr. Brado's work in stained glass, a hobby he pursued for decades. Also on display are his paintings, collages, sculptural assemblages, carvings and mosaics; he even built large kites and made home movies.
When he wasn't working on any of those things, Mr. Brado often would quote poetry, particularly Robert Service.
"He was a wonderful man," his wife said. "He was a good father and a wonderful provider."
His son agreed.
"He would give the shirt off his back to anyone," Doug Brado said. "He would be the first to pull over for anyone on the street."
Mr. Brado's diaries, one for each year of his life starting at the age of 18 and finishing at 87, continue a tradition started by his grandfather in 1868. Together they form a continuous family history for 132 years. The last entry in his grandfather's diary was made just hours before he died in 1946. It reads: "I quit for good tonite."
But the diaries are not the only family record. Numerous newspaper clippings, including a story in The Seattle Times in 1969, highlight Mr. Brado's achievements and interests, including his invention of the "Your Signature Tie."
Created while Mr. Brado was display manager for Frederick & Nelson, the tie — or ties — consisted of silk neckties on which Brado hand-reproduced the wearer's signature. This was done twice, the second script being a mirror image of the first. Together they formed a unique pattern.
"It's new! It's different!" trumpets a Frederick & Nelson ad from the day. "It's the most distinctive pattern in men's neckwear in the nation today!"
The ties achieved a certain vogue for a while, even appearing around the necks of some celebrities. Today they are hard to find, even in the Brado household.
What is found in abundance is a warmth from Mr. Brado's life that radiates in his family. They fondly reflect on the intangible things he gave them, as well as the mementos and artifacts.
One of the latter exists today only in a scrapbook, a photograph from the days when Mr. Brady was young and running his sign-painting business. It shows a Model T Ford truck, on the back of which he had constructed an entire cottage.
It may have been the world's first RV.
Besides his wife and son, Mr. Brado is survived by his daughter, Dreana Berggren, of Mukilteo, and numerous grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
Family and friends will gather to remember Mr. Brado's life from 1:30 to 4:30 p.m. next Sunday at the Winters House, 2102 Bellevue Way S.E., Bellevue.
Jon Savelle: 206-464-3192 or jsavelle@seattletimes.com