William L. Brobst

Obituary of William L. “Bill” Brobst William L. “Bill” Brobst 72, of Odenton, Maryland passed away on March 17, 2019 after battling Parkinson’s Disease and related ailments for almost seven years. Born in Warren, Ohio in May 1946, Bill was the eldest son of two educators, the late William E. and Ruth (Hafely) Brobst. His two younger brothers were Jim and Doug. Family was important to Bill. He took the responsibility of being the “big brother” seriously and was always very patient and generous to his brothers and knew that setting a good example was of utmost importance. His love, respect and gratitude to his parents were strong and continued to be throughout his life. Growing up in the fifties was different than in the 21st century. Although Bill participated in organized baseball leagues in the area, most games of baseball, basketball or football were “pickups” with friends from school or the neighborhood. Whenever the latest genre of the Wham O “Pluto Platter”, later known as the Frisbee, came out, that was always a must have. He and his brothers, even as young adults, spent many hours tossing those back and forth in the back yard, after dark also when the glow-in-the-dark version became available. Although Bill would never admit to being an animal lover, he always was. Growing up, the family dog was Dolly, a sweet little mutt. Bill’s mom many times related the story of how once, in the middle of the night, Bill, who was probably about 8 years old, woke up and heard Dolly barking in the woods that was quite some distance from the house. He got up out of bed without anyone realizing it and went out in search of Dolly. Not sure of the rest of the events that night but Dolly lived for many years after that so he must have brought her safely home. Bill was never one to shy away from hard work. In addition to the chores his dad always seemed to need done around the 2 acre property, he had a paper route for a number of years, worked at Warren’s A&W stand, being a summer mailman, and last but not least, by living in the “Steel Valley” of course there were the summer jobs in the intensely hot, physically draining, local steel mills. In and outside of school Bill always enjoyed reading and that pastime led to his mastery of the English language and lifelong following of politics. He attended Howland High School, holding various class offices, culminating in being elected Student Senate President in his senior year. To see the campaign he ran to win that office you would have thought he was running for THE presidency. The story goes that he was able to sneak the popular song by The Crystals - Da Doo Ron Ron (“I met him on a Monday and my heart stood still --Da do ron-ron-ron, da do ron-ron --Somebody told me that his name was Bill…”) onto the school’s morning announcements much to the consternation of the school principal. After graduation from Howland High in 1964 it was off to the nation’s capital in Washington D.C. where he could experience the governing of the country first hand and study at George Washington University, graduating with a degree in Political Science. Shortly after acquiring that degree Bill dipped his toe in the political waters by working on the campaign of a woman in Warren Ohio seeking a U.S. House seat. His first full time job was working at the Washington Bureau of the New York Times. Most of his work there involved in-office story research but he was able to get out of the office to witness such events as the Vietnam war protests that were so common in the city in the early 70’s as well as the later trial of some of the Watergate defendants. His way with words led to his having several NYT stories published with his byline. That first job in Washington also led to Bill’s love of the area, and with the exception of a few years spent in Atlanta and Austin, he spent his entire adult life living not far from the U.S. capital dome. In the mid 70’s Bill joined Indiana U.S. Senator Birch Bayh’s staff as Assistant Press Secretary. Senator Bayh was a very high profile and well-respected leader in Washington at the time and ran for President in 1976. Bill was part of that campaign, unfortunately it was rather short lived and unsuccessful. It would be safe to say that Birch Bayh was probably the “employer” Bill looked up to the most and enjoyed working for the most in his career. Ironically, Birch Bayh passed away 3 days prior to Bill. Unfortunately, or maybe fortunately, Bill most likely was unaware of that event. After leaving Senator Bayh’s staff Bill became Director of Communications for Pennsylvania U.S. Representative Allen Ertel. Congressman Ertel’s district included Three Mile Island where the most serious nuclear accident in U.S. history occurred on March 28, 1979. That event was a challenge to congressman and his staff, certainly to the Director of Communications. After leaving “The Hill” in the early 80’s Bill went on to work in communications/public relations positions for various corporations, mostly high tech, including Comsat, GTE and Scientific Atlanta. In the final years of his career he worked as a public relations consultant on a contract basis. Bill married Linda Arnold in July 1981 and became an instant father to two children, Bill and Jen. The role of being a father is one that he both relished and by all appearances took more seriously than any other in his life. Though he was not a professional educator like his parents, he became an “amateur” one in his interactions with Bill and Jen. His love of travel and always looking for the next adventure were something that enriched the lives of both of them and Linda as well. Anyone who ever came in contact with Bill will remember it was his sense of humor and his laugh that set him apart from all others. Bill always enjoyed a good joke, humorous story and especially a good pun. One of Bill’s favorite things to do was travel. He traveled extensively through the United States and Canada and his work also took him abroad. Not only did he travel around the country with Linda, Bill and Jen but also with his mother-in-law, mother, brothers, sister-in-laws and nieces and nephews at one time or another. Many good times were had by all in their travels with Bill! Bill is survived by his wife Linda, son Bill (Leah) Arnold and daughter Jennifer (Greg) Scott. Grandsons, Ryan Scott, Justin Scott and Jackson Arnold. Nieces and Nephews, Annie Brobst, Levi Brobst, Austin Brobst, Lindsey Metcalf and Michelle Skinner. He was predeceased by niece Amy Brobst. Memorial Contributions in Bill’s honor may be made to the Parkinson’s Foundation, (www.parkinson.org) or Hospice of the Chesapeake (www.hospicechesapeake.org )

William L. Brobst

May 3, 1946 - March 17, 2019