Couple gives $1.8 million to Foundation

Information provided

Although childless themselves, Merle and Naomi Brady will help needy local children for decades to come through bequests the late Van Wert residents’ estates made Friday to The Van Wert County Foundation.

Teresa Blowers, executor of the Naomi L. Brady estate, and the First Financial Bank Trust Department, as trustee of the Merle F. Brady and Naomi L. Brady Trust and the Merle F. Brady and Naomi L. Brady Charitable Remainder Annuity Trust, through their attorney, Stephen E. Keister of Keister & Baker Law Office, announced Friday the charitable distribution of the bulk of the trusts to the Van Wert County Foundation.

According to a release provided, the total Brady distributions to the Van Wert County Foundation will exceed $1.8 million.

The funds are to be established in perpetuity as the Merle F. Brady and Naomi L. Brady Memorial Scholarship Fund. The income from the fund is designated for use “to assist underprivileged students to obtain a college education or equivalent.”

Merle Brady died on June 26, 2009, and Naomi passed on July 28, 2012. The Bradys were an integral part of the Van Wert community for more than 50 years and operated Brady Fashions in Van Wert until 1975.

Naomi was a licensed real estate agent and secretary for Merle Brady Realty, a member of Trinity United Methodist Church in Van Wert, was a past matron, past district president, and had served as secretary for 10 years for Van Wert Chapter 48 of the Order of Eastern Star, was a lifetime member and past secretary of American Legion Auxiliary Unit 178 in Van Wert, and had formerly served on the Van Wert Peony Festival Committee.

Merle Brady served four years with the U.S. Army Air Force during World War II, was state commander of the Ohio American Legion from 1957-58 and later went on to represent the Ohio Department of the American Legion on the National Executive Committee of the American Legion National Headquarters for two terms.

Merle was also a longtime member of American Legion Post 178 in Van Wert and its color guard. He was a 2001 inductee into the Ohio Veterans Hall of Fame.

Long active in civic and veterans affairs, Merle was a past president of Van Wert City Council, past chairman of the board of Van Wert National Bank, past president of the Van Wert County Board of Realtors, past state president of the Ohio State Association of Veterans Service Commissioners, president of the Van Wert County Veterans Service Commission and past president of Buckeye Boys State.

He was an active member of the Buckeye Boys State program for 42 years, serving as the section head for the County Government Selection of the Boys State program for a majority of that time.

Though Merle and Naomi had no children, they designated the bulk of their trust estate to provide a perpetual fund for the education of underprivileged students.