War veteran managed Elgin watch plant

Richard H. Brandes seldom bragged, but he was proud of a few things in his life.

He was proud of his service in World War II, when he flew bombing runs over the Pacific.

He was proud that he learned to walk again when doctors told him he never would after a 1949 bout with polio.

He was proud of his work --he started at Elgin National Watch Co. immediately after high school in 1941, and closed the doors of the Elgin plant for the last time as a vice president in 1965.

And he was proud to be a constant part of his city.

Born Dec. 9, 1922, in Elgin, he lived his entire life in the city except for two periods --three years during the war and four years when he managed the watch company's Lincoln, Neb., plant.

Mr. Brandes died Friday at Alexian Brothers Medical Center in Elk Grove Village of complications from a stroke. He was 84.

"He loved his work at the watch company," daughter Carol Chevalier said. "He was always proud that he was part of such a big employer in town and that it was so much a part of the city. So many people knew him for his work there."

But fewer people in Elgin knew of Mr. Brandes' other accomplishments.

He was a 2nd lieutenant in the U.S. Army's newly-formed Air Force from 1943 to 1945, serving as a bombardier over the North Pacific.

Mr. Brandes lost part of his hearing to the noise of airplane engines and explosions, and never got it back.

"They never could fix that," son-in-law Jim Chevalier said. "We always had to yell at him."

After the war, Mr. Brandes returned to Elgin and the watch company. He left again to manage the company's Lincoln, Neb., plant in 1955, and returned to Elgin as a vice president in 1958.

Even with his business success, though, Mr. Brandes kept something of the handiwork that launched his career with the watch company.

"He was always able to fix a watch, and just about anything else," Jim Chevalier said. "Whenever anyone in the family had a problem around the house, we called him first."

Visitation will be from 4 to 8 p.m. Friday at Laird Funeral Home, 310 S. State St., Elgin. Funeral services will be at 10 a.m. Saturday at the funeral home.

In lieu of flowers, contributions in Mr. Brandes' name can be made to the Alzheimer's Foundation of America or to St. John's Lutheran Church in Elgin.

Mr. Brandes is survived by his sister, Jayne Saeger; sons David, Jim, John and Paul Brandes; daughters Sharon Keehler and Carol Chevalier; and nine grandchildren.