Obituary of William H. Brakman

William Henry Brakman, Jr. known to all as “Bill” passed away August 6, 2014. He was 86 years old and a resident of Port Washington, Long Island. Bill was born in New York City on September 4, 1927. He was a graduate of Great Neck High School and attended Princeton University as a member of the class of 1949. He left college and entered the army as a member of the 511th Parachute Infantry Division where he served in the army of occupation of Japan after the close of World War II . He returned to civilian life in 1948 and graduated with a BS from Columbia University in 1952. He joined the accounting firm Arthur Andersen (now Andersen Consulting), later moving to Peat Marwick Mitchell (now KPMG) where he was a principal in the New York City office and one of the early pioneers in the field of computerization and management consulting. In his later years, Bill established his own consulting firm, Brakman & Associates, and also served as Chief Financial Officer for The Mallon Company. On April 27, 1957 Bill married Joan Vaughan Morel whom he met in the Great Neck Ski Club. According to Bill, he loved the tall brunette schoolteacher by their second date. They made their home first in Roslyn Heights, New York and later, Brookville, New York. Bill and Joan had two children, William Henry, “Hank” and Sarah-Vaughan. Bill was an avid sailor in the summer and a downhill skier in the winter. He was a winning competitor on the North Shore of Long Island in various types of One-Design Class of sailboats for many years, starting his racing career with the wooden hull Manhasset Bay One Design #11, “Tiger,” the boat named in memory of his time at Princeton. As a dedicated member of Manhasset Bay Yacht Club (MBYC) for over six decades (Bill and Joan’s wedding reception was held at The Club), Bill led many initiatives to develop teaching programs for sailing to children and adults. He served with pride as Commodore of MBYC and created many new successful sailing ventures for the Club. In 2006 the Brakman/Schwarz Ideal 18 trophy was created by MBYC to honor Bill (along with Carl Schwarz) in recognition of both men’s contribution to Ideal 18 sailing. This year’s 2014 Race Week at MBYC was dedicated to Bill’s memory. Bill and Joan also continued their love of skiing through the years. They had a vacation home in Vermont where they welcomed family and friends for skiing vacations for many years. Bill shared his passion for skiing as well as his passion for sailing with his children, one of whom became an amateur junior racer. Many of Bill’s happiest memories (in addition to sailing) were the family’s getaways in Vermont where he insisted there would be no TV and only one phone. Bill loved skiing hard all day and then in the evenings, reading, playing cards and board games with his wife and children. Even when all that was at stake was winning at Clue, Bill played the same as he did anything: with seriousness of purpose, focused passion, joy and a great deal of humor. Bill also gave generously of his time and talents to all who asked. He worked especially with Mommas House, a home for women and children in Jericho, New York where he provided computers and basic training to assist woman in crisis to develop their job skills so they could support themselves and their children. In addition, Bill worked happily as a tireless volunteer for over a decade for the Port Washington Harborfest Model Boat Regatta. Each year, according to the Port Washington Patch, “As the ground hog was looking for his shadow, adult volunteers in Bill Brakman’s basement were busy assembling more than 400 model boat kits for use by the third graders to build their own boats later in the spring.” On race day each June, third graders from six Port Washington schools would launch their boats to Bill’s official start and count down. Bill gave generously (and most often anonymously) to causes close to his heart and to his abiding Christian faith. One of the local public causes he and Joan were devoted to was St. Francis Hospital. Bill was also interested in supporting the sustaining presence of Christianity in the historic sites of the Bible. In 1985 Bill was invested as a Knight of the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem. This is the only lay institution of the Vatican State charged with the task of providing for the needs of the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem and for all the activities and initiatives which are necessary to support the Christian presence in the Holy Land. At the time of his death, Bill had attained the rank of Knight Commander. To his family, and to all who knew him, Bill Brakman was a faith-filled, intelligent, extremely capable and truly humble man who loved deeply and had a zest for life. His goodness, kindness and ready humor were evident to all who met him and saw the twinkle in his eye. Bill is survived by his wife of 57 years, Joan; his son and daughter-in-law, Hank and Charlott Brakman; and his daughter and son-in-law, Sarah-Vaughan Brakman and James M. Youakim, as well as by his three beloved grandchildren. Visiting at Fairchild Funeral Home 1570 Northern Blvd, Manhasset, New York 11030 Saturday, August 9, 2014 from 7 to 9 pm and Sunday August 10, 2014 3 to 5 pm and 7 to 9 pm. Mass of Christian Burial Monday August 11, 2014 at 9:30 am at St. Peter of Alcantara, 1321 Port Washington Blvd., Port Washington, NY. In lieu of flowers donations may be made in the memory of Bill Brakman to St. Francis Hospital Foundation, 100 Port Washington Blvd, Roslyn, NY 11576 or to the Manhasset Bay Sailing Foundation/Brakman Fund at 455 Main Street, Port Washington, NY 11050.