Obituary: Catherine M. Brady, Co-Founder of Maryland Publishing Company

Submitted by Mark Brady

Catherine M. Brady, the co-founder and retired Vice President of the Robert J. Brady Co. died of complications related to cancer on January 29, 2013, at her home in College Park, MD. The Brady Co. and the BRADY publishing imprint is still nationally recognized. During her career Mrs. Brady had responsibility for strategic planning, product development and marketing. As a result of the combined efforts with her late husband, Robert J. Brady Sr., the company, a pioneering audio visual programs, flourished and was purchased by Prentice - Hall in 1968. Mrs. Brady remained with the company until her retirement in 1981. Catherine moved to Prince George’s County from New York while her husband served in as a member of the US Navy during World War 2. Initially moving to Greenbelt in the 1940’s they have lived in College Park for the past 60 years.

During her tenure Mrs. Brady developed many ground breaking programs including: a complete audio visual training program for nurses in conjunction with the Washington Hospital Center; a novel audio visual program and laboratory for the students at the Lt. Joseph P. Kennedy Institute; developed the first complete Emergency Care training program for EMTs that has trained well over a million EMTs and First Responders; her “just say no”, Drugs and You audiovisual series was one of the first targeted for the K through 6 student and it was selected to be part of a national school curriculum program; developed and published a series of texts and training aids for allied health professions in conjunction with the American Hospital Association.

The Brady Co. moved to its new Bowie, MD building in 1973 and became a major employer. As part of their community outreach Mrs. Brady arranged a gift of one hundred thousand dollars to the City of Bowie to construct the Bowie Playhouse in Whitemarsh. Mrs. Brady was involved many other civic ventures and supported many other causes during her tenure and in her retirement.

Catherine M. Brady, beloved wife of the late Robert J. Brady, Sr.; loving mother of Rita Bogley (Sam), Robert J. Brady, Jr. (Monica), Mary Hulefeld (Rick), Terry Brady Novak (Rick), Rick Brady (Pat), Claire Brady, Cathy Brady-Copertino (Dennis), Kevin Brady (Lori), Mark Brady (Terri), and Fr. Lloyd Kramlich, SDS; dear grandmother of 29 grandchildren and 32 great-grandchildren. Family will receive friends on Friday, February 1, 2013 from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. at Ascension Catholic Church, 12700 Lanham Severn Rd., Bowie, MD, where a Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated on Saturday, February 2, 2013 at 1 p.m. Interment will be in Sacred Heart Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that contributions be made to the AAMC Foundation to be directed to the Catherine M. Brady Fund, which supports medical missions to care for children with cleft lip palate and other oral deformities. Contributions can be sent to AAMC Foundation, 2001 Medical Parkway, Sajak Pavilion – Suite 550, Annapolis, MD 21401.