John Francis Brady, ultimate public servant
John Francis Brady, 66, of Lewes, passed away peacefully at his Angola home Sunday, Aug. 10, 2025, in the care of Delaware Hospice and his friends/caregivers, Jake Fox, Amy Rust and Pat Campbell-White. John was born June 13, 1959, in Darby, Pa., but grew up in Wilmington, where he was the oldest of four children of Claire Louise Brady and John P. ‘Jack’ Brady. He attended Christ Our King and Saint Mary Magdalen Schools, and graduated from Salesianum High School in 1977.
John earned the rank of Eagle Scout in the Boy Scouts of America in 1976, and following his graduation from the University of Richmond in 1982, he served as an executive with the Boy Scouts in New Jersey, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Virginia, and Maryland. However, following the lead of his father and biggest role model, he decided to enter law school and become an attorney. John graduated cum laude from Widener Law School in Wilmington in 1991 and was admitted to practice in Delaware and New Jersey that same year, as well as before the Supreme Court of the United States in 2011.
During John’s 32-year legal career, he worked at several Sussex County and New Castle County law firms, and also served as a deputy attorney general for the State of Delaware. John’s first job as an attorney in Sussex County was with the firm of Tunnell and Raysor, P.A., in Georgetown, where his work under managing partner (later Judge) Richard F. Stokes launched a decades-long friendship. He successfully represented clients in every state trial court in Delaware, multiple local municipal courts, and federal court, as well as before the Delaware Supreme Court, putting him in rarefied air among the Delaware Bar.
While actively practicing law, John was appointed as an attorney for the Delaware House of Representatives and worked with officials in both parties at Legislative Hall in Dover. That experience later spurred him to throw his hat into the political ring and run for elected office. He ultimately won seven of nine elections in which he entered and, as far as anyone knows, he was the only person to serve as Sussex County register in chancery, Sussex County recorder of deeds, and Sussex County clerk of the peace, having been elected to those positions in 2000, 2002, and 2012, respectively. One of his campaign platforms for the register in chancery race was that he would help eliminate the position as a county office and salary obligation, and make it the responsibility of the state, a goal he quickly accomplished, and in doing so, lessened the tax burden for Sussex County residents. He was the first openly gay elected official in Delaware and very likely, the only person who won county-wide elections as both a Republican and a Democratic candidate. It was his last elected position, clerk of the peace, that John enjoyed the most, and during his four-year term, he conducted more than 1,000 marriages, including the first same-sex marriages in the state starting in 2013.
Long before all that, by the age of 12, John was a paperboy delivering The Morning News and the Evening Journal in the City of Wilmington and, later, in suburban Wilmington, starting a family tradition where each of his siblings would serve as paper carriers for several years each. However, John's first formal job was at the Sheraton-Brandywine Inn in Wilmington, working for owners Henry and Avrim “Ave” Topel, who would go on to become lifelong friends, with Henry serving as one of John's political mentors. When John was looking to get into politics after having been a registered Democrat his entire adult life to that point, it was Henry, a former state chairman of the Democratic Party, who encouraged him to run as a Republican when no Democratic opportunities were present, saying, “John, this is little Delaware; we elect the person, not the party!’ While his political affiliation eventually changed back to Democrat, his commitment to the citizens of Sussex County, regardless of their party, never wavered, and John had countless close friends and supporters, including many present and former elected officials, on both sides of the political aisle.
In addition to serving in office, John was solicitor to the towns of Milton, Dewey Beach, and Ellendale, was both the chief deputy register of wills for Sussex County and Sussex County law librarian, and served on the Delaware Industrial Accident Board. He also earned a Public Leadership Executive Certificate from the Harvard Kennedy School of Harvard University.
As recently noted in the Cape Gazette by longtime friend and reporter Bill Shull, John was “the ultimate public servant” and assisted and improved the lives of people throughout Delaware. Gov. Matt Meyer issued a statement Aug. 11, saying, “Delaware mourns the passing of John Brady, a true public servant, trailblazer, and dear friend to many. From his dedication to justice and service through the law to the barriers he broke as Delaware’s first openly gay official, John fought with compassion to improve our state and touched countless lives in the process.” Sussex County Council also issued a statement Aug. 11, stating, “John Brady was synonymous with public service. From serving as the Register in Chancery to Recorder of Deeds, and eventually Clerk of the Peace, John enjoyed working with and on behalf of the people of Sussex County. We are saddened by his loss, but Sussex County will forever be grateful for his counsel, wisdom, and dedication to doing the people’s work.”
The day before he passed away, John was presented with The Order of the First State by former Lt. Gov. Bethany Hall-Long and former Speaker of the House Peter Schwartzkopf at his home, with his family and close friends present. The Order of the First State is Delaware’s highest civilian honor and is bestowed upon individuals who meet a high standard for community service. Gov. Hall-Long signed the award Jan. 17, 2025, but was unable to present it to John at the time due to his then-hospitalization in Philadelphia. As she noted during the presentation, John “deserves recognition for continuous Service on behalf of the Citizens of the State of Delaware…His consistent dedication to excellence in serving his community and his State is to be lauded.” Moreover, she praised John directly, telling him, “You have a remarkable legacy, and that legacy is going to continue forward through family, friends, and all of us that you’ve touched. We, in Delaware, are better for this.” Despite his declining health, John was acutely aware of the significance of the ceremony and the remarks about him from the governor and speaker. He surprised none of those in attendance by responding in his loud, booming voice that he “never expected to get this award but [was] very appreciative.”
John had a long-standing devotion to Scouting. Despite having moved on to his ultimate career as an attorney, he remained actively involved with the Boy Scouts as a volunteer and mentor. In 2019, John received the Silver Beaver Award from the Del-Mar-Va Boy Scout Council, the highest national-level award a Boy Scout Council can bestow upon its adult volunteer leaders, recognizing distinguished service and outstanding contributions to youth and the Scouting program, and the Outstanding Eagle Scout Award from the National Eagle Scout Association, presented to Eagle Scouts who demonstrate remarkable achievements well beyond their Scouting endeavors by excelling in their careers or vocations at local, regional, or national levels. In addition, in 2023, John received the Order of the Arrow Scout Founders Award from the Nentego Lodge of the Del-Mar-Va Council, a highly restricted award within the Order of the Arrow national honor society of Scouting, and given by lodges to honor outstanding service above and beyond normal duties.
Paralleling his professional travels over 40 years, John was also a member of Rotary Clubs in many states. More recently, he was one of the five remaining charter members of Rehoboth Sunrise Rotary Club in 2002 and served as the club’s third president in 2004-05. John became the “Father of Championship Sunday,” a Sunrise Rotary event held for many years at Rehoboth Beach Convention Center two weeks before the Super Bowl and recognized as Sussex County’s largest tailgate party. Within the last year, John was instrumental in assisting the club in establishing its own charitable foundation to fund activities to benefit worthwhile programs of the Cape Region. More than anything else, John exemplified Rotary International’s motto “Service Above Self.”
John had a unique ability to explain complex legal matters in easily understood terms, and that made him in particular demand, whether it was appearing on multiple television or radio stations, or having his phone number on speed dial for local reporters. He offered legal analysis on radio station WXDE in Lewes, and acted as a political reporter and legal analyst for television station WRDE in Rehoboth Beach. Toward the end of his career, John appeared on a weekly show on radio station WGMD with MJ Powell, which afforded him opportunities to offer his legal reasoning on current national and local topics and events, which many area listeners looked forward to and relied upon. In a moving Aug. 11 tribute monologue by WGMD’s Jake Smith, John was referred to as “The People’s Lawyer.” The thing John loved most about being an attorney was the feeling that he could help someone. He previously shared with Cape Gazette writer Bill Shull that one of his most proud accomplishments in his law career was serving as a volunteer attorney with the State Office of the Child Advocate, helping to safeguard the welfare of abused and neglected children in Family Court, while one of his toughest tasks, but meaningful endeavors, was drafting wills for people who were dying of AIDS in the late 1990s.
John was a lifelong Phillies and Eagles fan, and had season tickets to the Phillies for a number of years. He enjoyed traveling to different Major League Baseball stadiums throughout the country, collecting baseball cards and memorabilia, and had an encyclopedic knowledge of baseball statistics and sports trivia.
John was preceded in death by his partner, Joshua Benjamin Davis; his parents, Claire and Jack Brady; and multiple maternal and paternal aunts, uncles, and cousins. He is survived by his three siblings, James M. Brady, Nancy B. Miller (John), and William P. Brady (Deborah); six nieces and nephews; aunts, Margaret Brady (Sister Mary Ellen, OP) and Jeanne Brady; and a host of cousins. Also, very significant in John’s life were his Sussex County family/caregivers, Jake Fox, Amy Rust and Pat Campbell-White, who were responsible for honoring his wishes to return to his home in Lewes during the final week of his life.
John will be deeply missed by his family and friends.
A visitation will take place from noon to 2 p.m., Saturday, Sept. 20, at Parsell Funeral Homes & Crematorium, 16961 Kings Hwy., Lewes, with a Celebration of Life service to follow at 2 p.m.
Anyone unable to attend the services may view the livestream at: parsellfuneralhomes.com/obituaries/permalink/11879667/LTWebcast.
A Mass will be held at 10 a.m., Thursday, Sept. 25, in New Castle County at St. Joseph’s on the Brandywine Roman Catholic Church, 10 Old Church Road, Greenville.
In lieu of flowers, John expressly requested contributions be made to Scouting America Del-Mar-Va Council, 1910 Baden Powell Way, Dover, DE 19904, delmarvacouncil.org (See tab Support Scouting, drop down to Memorials).
Visit John’s Life Memorial webpage at parsellfuneralhomes.com.
