Joseph J. Brand, 89, a resident of Morning Pointe of Chattanooga, died peacefully on January 2, 2013.
Joe Brand was born Sept. 13, 1923, in Fairmont, W.V.
He was predeceased by his wife of 44 years, Betty Turner Brand, by his parents, Walter L. and Gladys Snider Brand, and by his brothers, J. M. “Duke” Brand and W. E. “Gene” Brand.
He is survived by his son, Daryl J. Brand, daughter-in-law, Myra Sanderson, and grandchildren, Ethan and Eliza Brand, all of Hixson.
In 1940, Mr. Brand moved with his family to Bridgeton, N.J., where he lived until moving to Chattanooga in 2006.
During World War II, he served in the U.S. Navy, 69th Construction Battalion (“Seabees”) in the European theater. The 69th closed Omaha Beach, constructed port and airport facilities in Ostend, Belgium, and Bremen, Germany, and is said to have been the only U.S. Navy unit to have actually entered Germany during the war. Mr. Brand was recalled to service in the Seabees during the Korean War, and worked on construction of facilities at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.
In peacetime, Mr. Brand worked in the road and utility construction business as a heavy equipment operator and eventually equipment superintendent, until retiring in 1988 from Ole Hansen and Sons, Inc., general contractors, in Pleasantville, N.J.
He was an avid horseman, and in retirement spent his time maintaining his horses and farm near Shiloh, N.J., and going on trail rides.
Mr. Brand was a long-time elder and trustee of First Presbyterian Church in Bridgeton, N.J. He was a former master and long-time chaplain of Evening Star Lodge, F&AM, former president of the Bridgeton Hi-Twelve Club, and a Shriner of the Crescent Temple. He was honored with Lifetime Membership in the American Legion, Shoemaker Post #95.
Arrangements will be made by Freitag Funeral Home in Bridgeton, N.J.
In lieu of flowers, the family would appreciate memorial contributions to First Presbyterian Church, 119 Commerce St., Bridgeton, N.J. 08302, or to the Alzheimer’s Association, www.alz.org.
Arrangements are by Lane Funeral Home, 601 Ashland Terrace, 423 877-3524.