John (Jack) Henry Brandt of Lincoln, Massachusetts died at age 77 on September 24, 2017, following a brief illness. Jack was born in Cleveland, Ohio, son of the late Harold P. Brandt and Dorothy H. (Kern) Brandt. He is survived by his beloved wife of 37 years, Marilyn. He was the father of two daughters: Sylvia Ellison (husband Craig Mesure), and Laura Ellison (partner Mike Kelly). He was the brother of Margaret Cameron and Jean Kubichek, and brother-in-law of Ken Kubichek. Three grandchildren, Alice Miller, Windom Mesure, and Harper Mesure, and 10 nieces and nephews also survive him.
Jack attended Lakewood High School in Lakewood, Ohio, and Yale College. A true renaissance man, Jack was accomplished in many fields of endeavor. As a Yale undergraduate, his beautiful tenor voice and perfect pitch contributed to the famous sound of the Whiffenpoofs. A talented historian, Jack pursued his passion for the history of science and medicine at Yale, and as a Mellon Fellow at Clare College, Cambridge, England. Ultimately, he settled on a medical career, receiving his M.D. from Harvard, and psychiatry training at McLean Hospital in Belmont. For two decades prior to his 1999 retirement, Jack served as a staff psychiatrist in the Massachusetts Institute of Technology medical department.
Retirement allowed Jack to turn full time to the true loves of his life, Marilyn, music, and a never-ending search for all forms of beauty. He enjoyed trips to the Maine seacoast, Manhattan, his favorite southern island, and Washington, D.C. It was a rare Friday afternoon when Jack and Marilyn could not be found together at Boston’s Symphony Hall, followed by Friday evening at the Harvard Musical Association, and weekend concerts of Boston Baroque, or Handel and Haydn. For the rest, there were always new and beautiful gardens to find, historic homes to visit, gems of art to savor, and hidden histories to share about the fascinating worlds that were there for the taking. Part of the sharing included membership and service in many clubs and associations such as the Algonquin Club, the St. Botolph Club, the Harvard Musical Association, the Boston Athenaeum, the Cosmos Club of Washington D.C., and the Yale and Harvard Clubs of Boston and New York. At various times he was also a member of the Trinity Church archive committee, the Massachusetts Historical Society, the New England Historical and Genealogical Society, and the Bostonian and Colonial Societies. Jack enjoyed fellowship and friendship wherever he went.
In lieu of flowers, gifts may be made in memory of John H. Brandt to the Boston Athenaeum Annual Fund, 10½ Beacon St., Boston, MA 02108, or the Newton-Wellesley Hospital Charitable Foundation, 2014 Washington St., Newton, MA 02462.
A memorial service will be held Monday, November 6, 2017 at 2:30PM at First Parish in Lincoln, 4 and 14 Bedford Road, Lincoln, MA.