Robert E. Brett

Bob Brett

Fourth generation Washingtonian, Robert Edward Brett (March 29, 1926 – November 8, 2024), went home to be with Jesus early Thursday morning, 11/8/2024, at 98 years old.

Bob was born and grew up in West Seattle. He swam competitively at Lincoln Park’s salt water pool, Coleman Pool, on Puget Sound. He also was a pole-vaulter. He spent his summers in Seabeck at “Camp”, the Brett’s ancestral home. His first job was working as a soda jerk at the Seabeck General Store.

Seabeck Store

In 1944 he joined the navy to fight for America in WW II. Bob enrolled in officers’ training at the University of California, Berkeley. Upon departure, at Seattle’s King Street Station, he met fellow Candidate, Norval Latimer, who became lifelong best friends. They both pledged Phi Gamma Delta (Figi) and Bob studied to earn his Mechanical Engineering degree.

If the atomic bomb had not been dropped, they would both have likely been a part of the planned Invasion of Japan and not survived yet instead, the war ended and they never saw combat.

On the “G.I. Bill”, Bob earned his business degree at the University of Washington, was active at the Figi house and rowed as a lightweight for the Huskies. When the Korean War broke out, he rejoined the U.S. Navy… training in Pensacola on aircraft carriers, to serve as a pilot and navigator. There he met fellow Patrol Squadron One member, Glenn Compton, who became a dear lifelong friend. While at Pensacola, Bob was featured in Life Magazine demonstrating the Dilbert Dunker.

They shipped out to Okinawa together flying reconnaissance missions aboard a P2V. This plane had both piston and jet engines.

• Once while patrolling the South China Sea they took on friendly fire by a British Destroyer.
• Another time Bob navigated through a typhoon and came out the other side spot on!
• One time he witnessed an island being born.
• Once he was cleared for landing at Okinawa yet another navy plane was cleared for takeoff on the same runway. At the last minute, Bob pulled up and the other pilot dropped down narrowly avoiding a deadly collision.

After the war, he re-enrolled at the UW and earned a Civil Engineering degree. While there, he met Jacklyn Steffan later proposing to her at Golden Gardens Park in Ballard. She said “yes, Yes, YES!” Bob and Jacke married on June 29th, 1957. They were married for 60 years.

Bob and Jacke Brett

Bob went into the commercial construction business first at Sellen Construction then soon after serving as VP & Senior Estimator & Project Manager for Eberharter and Gaunt. In the 1980s Bob formed his own general construction business, RE Brett Construction, and ran it as a faith based business. Noted projects he built were the:

• Tropical Reef Aquarium at the Point Defiance Zoo
• North Seattle Police Precinct
• Nuclear Reactor Building at the University of Washington
• North Satellite at Seatac International Airport
• An entire renovation of the Pike Place Market in the late 70s.

Bob was a strong Christian committing his life to Christ while studying The Word via Bible Study Fellowship (BSF) and making a trip to the Holy Lands. He served as an elder at his church, Bellevue Presbyterian Church, and led over 10 missions to Mexico building low income houses.

L>R: Robert E. Brett, Robert S. Brett
Rissa Brett, Jacklyn Brett

L>R: Robert E. Brett, Jacklyn Brett, Rissa Brett
Robert S. Brett, Brownie @ Yarrow Point home

L>R: Campbell Brett, Robert S Brett, Brighton Brett, Jacklyn Brett, Ximena Marino, Rissa Brett, Peter Gruss, Robert E Brett
at Emerald Heights, Redmond, WA.

He raised his family, first briefly on Mercer Island and in Medina Heights then at their lovely lakefront home on Yarrow Point on Cozy Cove. Dad taught both Bobby & Rissa to ski and sail amongst other valuable skills & morals. He loved to sing to us (such as Bill Grogan’s Goat), and took us skiing nearly every weekend, in the winter, up to his ski club, Sahalie, on the Alpental Road. We took many cherished summer vacations sailing in the San Juans, Gulf Islands and Desolation Sound with our close family friends, the Schiffs & Smiths. One of those summers we even took Glenn Compton’s son, Randy with us. Bob loved racing the big boats on Puget Sound with Chuck Schiff & his crew and sailed many a Swiftsure regattas. Bob and Jacke were blessed to travel the world visiting such places as the Caribbean, Europe, South America and Asia. He was always active enjoying sailing, skiing, tennis, golf and other physical activities.

Bob was active with the YMCA serving as the Chairman of the Eastside YMCA at the time of building the structure that houses the Bellevue Family YMCA today. He also served as the Nation Chief for the Eastside YMCA Indian Guides.

Robert believed in public service thus for years served as a Water Commissioner for King County Water District #1 and later as a City Councilman for the Town of Yarrow Point. Later he served as a member of the Seattle Chamber of Commerce’s President’s Club.

R>L: Robert E. Brett, Challys Brett, George Brett, Stan Brett, Jacke Brett, LaVern Brett
at Seabeck, WA “Camp”

Bob and Jacke moved to the Emerald Height Retirement Community, in Redmond, nearly 20 years ago and enjoyed a rich social life making many close friendships. Bob led the senior golfers in their games, serving as the Wine Social Chairman and as the Co-Chairman of the Building & Grounds Committee which included maintaining the beautiful walking trails in the woods and adding a new trail.

Preceded in death by: His wife, Jacklyn Steffan Brett; his parents, George Stanely Brett and Irene Walton Brett; and his brother, Stanley Richard Brett.

Robert Edward Brett, bottom center
Grandson, Campbell Brett, on left
Son, Robert S. Brett, on right

Bob is survived by his son, Robert Steffan Brett and his daughter, Clarissa Irene Brett; his grandsons, Campbell Jacob Steffan Brett and Brighton Southwell Brett; his sister, Marilyn Garvey; his nieces and nephews Steve Brett, Nancy Pitt, Susan Mitzel, Helen Jones, Kathleen Brooks, Jim Garvey, Susan Sinclair, Nancy Swanes-Jones, Peter Michael and Marilyn Michael; and his exchange students, Julio Brandsford from Brasil and Astrid Thomessen from Germany; and his loving companion, June Bittman.

The memorial service is scheduled for January 11 at 1:00 pm at the First Presbyterian Church of Bellevue.