Lucia “Lucie” Brandon
1932 - 2018
With regret we announce the death of Lucie Brandon; Lucie leaves behind a large family, loving friends, and a sisterhood of warriors for social justice, particularly women’s rights. Born in Ecuador and raised in the United States, the challenges Lucie faced as a child immigrant, a Jewish teen during WWII, and a young career woman and wife in the 1950s and 1960s all shaped her personality and fueled her unquenchable passion for equal rights, education, and democracy. After college she married Mack McKamey; they eventually settled in Walnut Creek and raised three children together before divorcing. Lucie engaged in local and national politics and proudly took on leadership roles in the National Organization for Women and the Society for Humanistic Judaism. She trained as a Madrikha and took great satisfaction from her role in weddings, funerals, and Bar Mitzvahs. Professionally, Lucie dedicated herself to helping others, first as a social worker, then as classroom teacher and a special education teacher. She earned several degrees, including a master’s degree in Special Education, many awards, and was a skilled potter. She was an avid world traveler, often with her beloved companion Bert Steinberg. Lucie championed the arts, particularly ballet and theater, and causes she believed in. She was intelligent, bold, opinionated, and articulate, and she strived to make our world a better place. We will always remember her for her energy and her zest for life.
Lucie died after a long struggle with Alzheimer’s disease. The family would like to express their heartfelt gratitude to her caretakers, both familial and paid, for their love and compassion for Lucie, and for the excellent care they gave her. A celebration of Lucie Brandon’s life will be held at 2 pm on Saturday, June 9th at the Heather Farms Community Center in Walnut Creek, CA. For those who wish to honor Lucie in some way, the family suggests that a donation be made to Planned Parenthood, an educational or social program, or to one of the many excellent research programs focused on preventing, treating, and curing Alzheimer’s Disease.