Brooks Biddle, 75, Well-Known As The Owner Of Car Dealership

Brooks Biddle had a name that was often before the public.

Mr. Biddle first gained fame as a football player at the University of Washington. But it was in later years, as the owner of Brooks Biddle Chevrolet in Bothell, that he became most well known. His dealership formed perhaps the most visible portal to the southern approaches of the city at the north end of Lake Washington.

"He loved the people in the business," said his son, John Biddle. "You have to be a people person. He cared about people, and they cared about him."

Mr. Biddle was born Sept. 30, 1924, in Seattle and died Saturday (Nov. 6) at Providence Marianwood Homecare in Issaquah after fighting heart disease since January.

Mr. Biddle attended both Queen Anne and Roosevelt high schools and first attended the University of California at Los Angeles before going into the Navy during World War II. He served as an officer on a cruiser on the Atlantic, although John Biddle recalled that his father and mother often would joke about how the ship called at such ports as Bermuda, rather than seeing combat.

After the war, Mr. Biddle returned to college at the University of Washington, where he was a member of the Phi Gamma Delta fraternity and lettered in football. He later received a law degree from the UW and passed the bar, said his son, but never practiced law.

Instead, he joined the former Riach Oldsmobile dealership in Seattle, where he worked until buying the Bothell dealership in

1966. Mr. Biddle remained active in the Bothell business until about four years ago, his son said.

The dealership over the past few years has changed the emphasis in its name, becoming known as Biddle Chevrolet, partly to avoid confusion with dealerships in Bellevue and Auburn that through coincidence had similar names, but no business relationships, said his son.

Mr. Biddle was a member of the UW Alumni Association; Northwest Forum, a group of business leaders; and the Tyee Club.

He loved to read, particularly Russian history, and also enjoyed restoring old wooden boats.

Besides his son, John, of Woodinville, Mr. Biddle is survived by his wife, Mona Louise; two daughters, Brooke Ann Moseby of Redmond and Allison Biddle of Seattle; a son, Duncan Biddle of Snohomish; a brother, John Spencer Biddle, of Bothell; and 12 grandchildren.

Services will be held at 11:30 a.m. Saturday at St. Thomas Episcopal Church in Medina, with burial at Acacia and a reception at Overlake Golf and Country Club.

Peyton Whitely's phone message number is 206-464-2259. His e-mail address is pwhitely@seattletimes.com