Sunday evening on January 21st, St. Peter welcomed Bert Valentine thru the gates of heaven, and the party was a site to behold.  Reunited with his wife of 60 years, Janice, brother Tom, sister Helen and brother-in-law Teddy, the thunders roared, and heavens let loose a torrent of rain to embrace Dad/Papa into his eternal home.  The weatherman tells us that the party lasted 3 days and it was glorious.  At the age of 88, Bert is survived by his sister Pat Cottrell, brothers Michael Brasher, George Hartley and children Robert Brasher, Catherine McGaughey and William Thaddeus Brasher.  The grandchildren that lit up his earthly life continue to carry on his memory: Jordan Thaddeus McGaughey, Faith Morgan Brasher, William Thaddeus Brasher II, Brandan McGaughey and Cameron McGaughey.  "Uncle Val" leaves behind numerous cousins, nieces, nephews and great-grandchildren that were a blessing to him.

Bert was born in California during the era of the Great Depression as the oldest of 5 children. Those hard times shaped lifelong thriftiness and a commitment to the family.  Boxes upon boxes of spare hardware, remaining lumber pieces, partial electrical cords, and buckets upon buckets of found golf balls and tees confirm the impact those early years had.  He was fortunate enough to be a part of 4 generations of Brashers during that time.  His youth was spent being a mentor to his siblings, heavily involved in the Boy Scouts, and walking through the orange groves on adjacent to his grandfather's house.  He named the grandparents and aunts and uncles, parroting back the affectionate names they bestowed on others.  "Timer", "Honey", "Angel", and Bert grew up "Val", as his father and grandfather were Bert's, and part of the 'Flying V Club'.  There is a story of the rolling of rocks down the overpass on the way to elementary school that landed Bert & Tom in the back of a passing patrol car, but because the handcuffs didn't fit, they had to let them go with a stern warning and thus ended his criminal career.

The Brasher clan moved all the way east to settle in New Jersey and grew up in what is lovingly called the Brasher House in Ridgewood.  Attending high school at St. Luke's in Ho-Ho-Kus, Bert excelled at all things.  A true renaissance man.  A 2-sport letterman at an imposing 150 lbs. (wet) he played defensive line for the St. Luke's football team and was on the basketball team.  He played lead roles in high school productions and was the valedictorian.  He continued his college career at Villanova and interned at Schaefer brewery and solved for carbonation challenges on the line. An engineer at heart, his fastidiousness had him begin a ledger of his first earnings that he carried through the 70's.  The BVB handwritten font is consistent neatness personified and was an excel spreadsheet before spreadsheets existed.

After graduating Villanova, Bert began his 37-year career at Texaco. It was here that he met the love of his life, Janice.  They began a family, and his career led him across the country with stops in 6 different states until they landed in Houston in the late 70's.  Bert was always one to do things the right way.  His engineering mind at work would solve for solutions whether they were stringing wiring throughout a house not meant for wiring, fixing steering wheel columns, or being able to recall the exact chapter in his 3,000 page, onion skin paged "Perry's Chemistry Text" to assist his children with their homework.  He was a kind and giving soul who was always there for his family or to lend a hand.  He was a family man first and foremost, but also has a servant's heart.  His technical mind led him to volunteer to help with tax preparation for those in the community.  He quickly moved to team leader, and as Janice would often lament, he'd stay up late to configure the computer hardware for his team year after year.

His continued service for the church was evidenced by his impeccable attendance record and service as an EME (Extraordinary Minister of the Eucharist), Mobile Loaves and Fishes, and served as a Lay Minister to present the Eucharist to those parishioners unable to attend services.

Life after Texaco allowed Bert & Janice to travel, and they shared trips with Janice's twin brother Teddy, and Bert's brother Tom and sister-in-law Marge.  His love of golf led him to be a marshal at Northgate CC.  He and Janice enjoyed the club and were deeply involved with bridge and social activities there.

When Janice was diagnosed with thyroid cancer, Bert leapt to action.  His analytical mind began to document and journal the history, procedures, prognoses, and medications that his soul mate was undergoing.  Notebooks upon notebooks documenting the journey were found in the family house. Never one to complain, he and Janice fought and spent countless trips from NW Houston down to MD Anderson.  It was never a chore for him, and he never tired of caring for his family.

When his short-term memory began failing, pictures of his youth always brought a smile to his face, and he would begin to tell you who's house the picture was taken from, and what the event was.  His long term recall and attention for detail were without rival.

Dad/Papa, we love you and miss you already.  You set the bar for how to live. The world is a better place for having you in it, and we are hopeful that we can carry on your legacy.

Services will be held at the Prince of Peace Catholic Community, in the Mary Chapel:

19222 TX-249 Access Road on Saturday, February 3rd

9:45-10:30          Rosary Vigil

10:30-11:30        Open Visitation

11:30                     Service (View the service live HERE )

Reception to follow

How Do You Say Goodbye to Superman?

How do you say good-bye to Superman?  Growing up, Dad was always Mr. Invincible, my hero, and one of my biggest fans.  Strong, devout, dedicated, self- disciplined, intelligent, caring, supportive, patient, loving.  It's difficult to describe the impact he had on my life in such a short time frame, but I'll try to give y'all a glimpse of how I viewed Superman.

Looking back on the many memories I have of my father, it's evident that his upbringing shaped how he approached the world.  Born the oldest of 5, in the era of the Great Depression, and an avid Boy Scout, his early life experiences galvanized his core beliefs.  He developed an engineering mind that was happiest working on projects.  Those projects typically fell into one of 3 buckets: Making himself a better person, making life easier for others, and we'll call the last one: Project Mom.

I remember from an early age how Dad had this aura of always doing the right thing at the right time.  It seemed so easy for him.  I later learned that Dad was always working on his self-improvement journey. The strong moral compass that was forged early in life from a big family & Catholic School upbringing, laid the foundation of continuous improvement.  As a father, he was always working to set the right example.  He would never curse and I still recall those phrases uttered when he'd get cut off in traffic: "hey there Ace – and that's not spelled A.C.E." or the time he had racked his knuckles audibly on a wrench and I was bracing myself for what I was sure would end in a four letter bomb, and then it happened - "Shaving Soap!"  Just classic examples of Dad's restraint under fire.  His patience & self-discipline allowed him to comfortably live a life that I can only describe as the straight and narrow. He was function over form.  If it worked, it didn't matter to him what it looked like, and he wasn't caught up on material things.   His faith life was one of those cornerstones that kept him grounded.  It was vital to be active in the church and he was a regular in the Prince of Peace Community, whether it was being active in the Knights of Columbus, an EME or attending mass every week.

The 2nd bucket was the projects Dad would do for others.  He was truly self-less.  He gained joy and meaning from doing for others.  Whether it was home improvement projects to make the house more efficient or comfortable, spending hours upon hours to repair a broken turn signal on steering column or doing taxes for those in need, Dad always sought to help others. And he always gave freely of himself to the one's he loved.  His family was the focus of his life.  He worked hard to provide a home and opportunity for his family.  He'd work 12-hour days, then come home and make the time to coach the various teams in baseball, softball, basketball and soccer, help with latenight homework, throw family batting practice, or spend Friday Family Game nights playing Michigan Rummy, Dad loved spending time with the family.  When the kids grew up, he became a Marshall at Northgate, and would collect lost golf balls and intact golf tees.  There are buckets upon buckets of collected golf balls he left behind. I think at first he thought he'd get to use them, but then I think he started collecting them as a legacy for his kids and grand kids to have, and based on the hiding place of the last half dozen, Costco cheese ball barrels of golf balls found in the very back of the garage, I'm pretty sure he hit a point where he had to hide them from Mom.

But without a doubt, his favorite projects revolved around his wife of 60 years.  He loved Mom with all his heart and built a life around her and his family.  Whether it was using his engineering mind to compile detailed AAA maps for family vacations, wall papering the various rooms in all the houses we lived in growing up or praying with Mom daily, he was always working to make her happy.  When Mom was diagnosed with thyroid cancer, he dove into the researching of treatment protocols, documenting medications, logging doctor visits, and was always there to take those trips to the Med Center 2-3 times a week.  And he did it without hesitation or any hint of annoyance.  It was that loving care that without a doubt prolonged Mom's life.

So with Dad moving on to heaven, he leaves a big void to fill in this world.  Those lessons in his projects to make yourself a better person, help those around you, and give selflessly to the ones you love are steps we can all take in carrying on that legacy.  I will always love and remember my father for the Great man that he was and think fondly on the many great memories I was blessed to have with him. I'll remember the many sacrifices he made unselfishly for the family.  He'll always be my Superman.  And in the end, even Superman has a kryptonite, and for Dad it was NOT being with Mom.  I think she was ready for him to join the party up in heaven, and it was a project that he couldn't wait to take on.

William Thaddeus Brasher 2/3/24