The following editorial was written by Cape Gazette reporter Bill Shull, a longtime friend of John Brady.
Sussex County and the State of Delaware owe a lot to John Brady.
This tireless public servant touched many lives in many different areas. John was a big man in stature who had an even bigger heart. He said he only wanted to help people, and he was never in it for the money.
John said the biggest accomplishment in his law career was being a volunteer attorney in the state Office of the Child Advocate, representing children in court.
When he wasn’t in court, he was on the radio giving out legal advice or on TV as a legal expert. He also worked hard to help people during his years as an elected official.
John started in politics as a Republican, then switched to the Democratic Party in 2010. But party affiliation never stopped him from helping people on both sides of the aisle.
It seemed like everybody in Delaware knew John Brady. But, more importantly, John Brady knew himself. He was unapologetic about being the first openly gay elected official in the state.
As clerk of the peace, he performed Sussex County’s first same-sex marriage ceremony.
Brady said his toughest but most rewarding work was writing wills for people who were dying of AIDS in the late 1990s.
He devoted most of his life to scouting. He achieved the rank of Eagle Scout as a teenager and served as a scout leader for decades.
Brady was a lifelong Philadelphia sports fan. When I saw him the day before he died, the final words to me were, “Go Eagles.”
Even though John spent most of his last nine months in the hospital, he still picked up the phone when he could to help however he could.
Sussex County, Delaware and everyone he impacted in the community are better off for knowing John Brady.
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Editorials are considered and written by Cape Gazette Editorial Board members, including Publisher Chris Rausch, Editor Jen Ellingsworth, News Editor Nick Roth and reporter Chris Flood.
