James Bromwell, Jr.

James Orville Bromwell, Jr., passed away May 7, 2018, in Frederick, MD. He was born in Baltimore on January 28, 1926, to parents James O. and Helen Gertrude (née Bickel) Bromwell.

Jim lived a wonderfully long and full 92 years. He proudly served in the United States Navy in the Pacific theater in WWII on the USS Oklahoma City (he was a plank owner); he enjoyed reminiscing about this time in his life and faithfully attended ship reunions for many years. Upon his return stateside, Jim attended the University of Baltimore where he took sports photos for the school paper, graduating in 1950 with a degree in marketing. It was also there that he met his beloved wife, Elizabeth (Betty) McCracken; they married April 14, 1951, and remained happily married for the next 67 years until Jim’s passing. Jim enjoyed a career in banking, but continued his passion for photography by taking wedding photos on the side. He also pursued hobbies of stamp and coin collecting. Jim took great joy in over half a century of volunteering with the Boy Scouts, becoming a recipient of the Order of the Arrow and the Silver Beaver Award.  He was a faithful member for many years of Jerusalem Evangelical Lutheran Church in Baltimore, and in recent years attended Evangelical Lutheran in Frederick and Redeemer Lutheran in Damascus. Although Jim retired early when he gradually became blind, he still enjoyed traveling with his wife and children, especially as his children grew up and moved around the country, and the world.

Jim is survived by a large and loving family whom he served with inexhaustible love and faithfulness: his wife Betty; his daughters and their husbands: Jan and Maurice (Maj, USA Ret) Saxton of Mount Airy, MD, Kate and Tom Manrodt of New Mexico, Mimi and Jim Knuth of Baltimore, and Lisa Bromwell and Sandy Kroopf of Los Angeles, CA; and his grandchildren and great-grandchildren: Will Saxton of Frederick, Eric (1SG, MDARNG) and Dr. Diana Saxton and their children Trent, Lucy, and Grant of Myersville, MD,  Chris (LT, USN) and Krystle Saxton and their son Calvin of Rota, Spain, Annie Manrodt of Nashville, TN, Peter Manrodt of New Mexico, Caroline Knuth and fiancé Michael Rogers of Washington, DC, and Gregor Knuth of Baltimore. 

A Funeral Service will be held at 11:00 AM on Saturday, May 12, 2018, at Redeemer Lutheran Church, 27015 Ridge Road, Damascus.  The family will receive friends from 10:00 AM until the time of the service at the church on Saturday.  Burial will be at 11:00 AM on Monday May 14th at Loudon Park Cemetery, Baltimore.  Arrangements have been entrusted to MYERS-DURBORAW FUNERAL HOME in Westminster.

Memorial contributions may be made to Navy-Marine Corps Relief Society (www.nmcrs.org/donate), the USO (www.uso.org/donate) or to the charity of one’s choice.