Harry Brophy

January 10, 2024

As Harry’s DIL said on FB, “The man, the myth, the legend passed away on January 10, 2024 at home with his family.” Harry was born on September 30, 1932 in San Francisco Calif., and passed away in Novato, Calif. Some say obituaries are meant to be short. That would so not do Harry justice!

I used to tell our friends, “Ward Cleaver” he’s not. But what he was, was a hard working man who came from a bit of a hard scrabble childhood. His father passed away when Harry was about 10 and he was sent to a Salesian Brother’s boarding school in Watsonville. He returned to San Francisco for high school and graduated from George Washington. Not long after high school he became the luckiest man on the planet and met his wife, Joan at Walt’s Creamery in the Richmond District. We constantly reminded him of just how fortunate he was to have married her! February 22nd would have been their 69th wedding anniversary.

Harry joined the SFFD in 1955, and through unparalleled work ethic and study habits he rose to the rank of Assistant Chief and retired in 1992. I am not sure you could ever meet someone who was more proud of his profession. You couldn’t meet and talk to him for more than five minutes without knowing how much he loved being a firefighter, and then the stories would begin!

Some stories we have been sworn to secrecy, but others you might have heard (trying to ride the buffalo in Golden Gate Park) are all true! He was a character with a sense of humor that never said no to a challenge and had the courage of his convictions.

Harry, with his family enjoyed spending long summers at Russian River, specifically the Surrey Inn with the usual cast of characters that became life long friends.

He had three loves in his life, His family, Golf, and being a firefighter.

He is truly missed by his wife, Joan; his four kids, John (Rebecca), Tim (Lorie), Pam and Jill (Renee). He was also immensely proud of his four grandchildren, Joey, Timmy, Jonathan and Samantha.

The amount of outreach from friends including many from the SFFD has been heartwarming. Dad requested no service. He actually said “Hell I am 91, whose gonna come’! Well Dad, it would have been a packed house!

Harry was lucky, he enjoyed good health almost to the very end. He appreciated that he was able to enjoy so many years of retirement and understood that not every firefighter who passes may be in the same position. He and Joan decided the best way to celebrate a life well lived and to pay tribute to a job he truly loved was to make a donation to the San Francisco Firefighters Union and help another fire fighter and their family in their time of need.

In lieu of flowers, contributions can be made in Harry’s memory to the San Francisco Firefighters Cancer Prevention Foundation.