John Street Broadbent

J. Streett Broadbent Obituary John “Streett” Broadbent of Reisterstown, MD passed away on April 19, 2026, after a battle with leukemia. He was 83 years of age. Born in Baltimore, MD, he was the son of the late Walter Scott and Mabel Naomi (House) Broadbent. He is survived by his son, Ken Broadbent, and daughter-in-law, Alison, of Arlington, VA; by his daughter, Sandy Tilmes, and son-in-law, Matt, of Hanover, PA; and by his four grandchildren: Ben and Lexie Tilmes, and Everett and Katerina Broadbent. Streett was a graduate of Franklin High School, class of 1960. Following high school, Streett attended Western Maryland College (WMC), now known as McDaniel College, and graduated with a Bachelor's Degree in Physics. He was a member of the Gamma Beta Chi fraternity, participating in intramural wrestling and basketball. It is there that he met Barbara Petschke, to whom he was married, and is the mother of Ken and Sandy. He joined the Army National Guard of Maryland in 1964 and served until May 1970. Streett worked for Black & Decker (B&D) for his entire career, starting as a summer intern while in college, and joining permanently in June 1964 after graduating from WMC. He started in the Test Department, then the Prototype/Model Shop, and into the Engineering Department. He retired as the Director of Engineering Technology & Applied Sciences. Streett was involved in key projects such as bringing B&D into the computer age, including Computer Aided Design world-wide, and also the launch of the DeWalt brand in 1992 as their premium, yellow-and-black line of professional-grade power tools. He was also the B&D representative to Advancing Minorities' Interest in Engineering (AMIE), working with Morgan State University and the University of Maryland Eastern Shore. He retired in Sept 2003. He founded Easy Streett Enterprises (ESE), LLC in 2003, providing consulting services in business, engineering, and conference planning. He obtained his Merchant Mariner's License (Captain's License) - Masters Inland, and provided Yacht Management Services via ESE to several marinas, boat manufacturers, and private owners. Outside of work, Streett was an active member of the Jaycees until the age of 36, volunteering around the community. He was also a member of the Maryland Junior Miss program, serving as Chairman for nine years. Boating was his passion. He was an active member of the Dundalk Sail & Power Squadron (a.k.a. America's Boating Club - Baltimore), serving as a Member of the Bridge from September 1989 until his passing. He was a Certified Instructor for both the Power Squadron and the Maryland Dept. of Natural Resources, teaching numerous courses from Basic Boating to Advanced Piloting, and also performing Vessel Safety Checks. He held several leadership positions, including Editor of the newsletter for three years, Squadron Education Officer (SEO) from 2011 to 2016, Executive Officer 2017-2018, and Commander for three terms, 2018-2021, and then supported all SEOs again throughout the remainder of his tenure. He was also a member of Bowley’s Marina, serving at times as Chairman of the Board, Chair of the Strategic Planning Committee, and member of the Pier Committee, from 2013-2024. A Celebration of Life celebration will be held on Sunday, May 31, 2026, time and place to be determined. In lieu of flowers, gifts can be made to Blood Cancer United in memory of Streett Broadbent via our friend’s Visionary of the Year link: https://pages.lls.org/voy/nca/dcmetro26/cstevens through June 13, 2026.

John Street Broadbent

November 15, 1942 - April 19, 2026