Jack Bras
Sept. 26, 1929-Nov. 9, 2024
Pleasanton, California

J. Jack Bras, a resident of Pleasanton for 60 years, passed away peacefully in his sleep at his home on November 9, 2024. Jack was born outside Okema Oklahoma on the eve of the 1929 Stock Market Crash and the Great Depression. His parents brought him and his younger twin brothers to California in 1936, where they worked picking cotton and grapes. He frequently mentioned that his childhood was straight out of "Grapes of Wrath." He was thrilled when he and his brother Charlie were interviewed by the San Francisco Chronicle for their April 20, 2014 front-page story on the 75 year anniversary of the publication of "Grapes of Wrath." After graduating high school in Fresno, CA, he received his BA in Architecture from Cal Berkeley in 1952 and continued to attend Cal/Stanford games for many years thereafter. He was tickled pink to receive a section of the bleachers from Memorial Stadium when it was renovated in 2010. He was drafted during the Korean War and stationed in Germany. Upon his return to civilian life, he settled in the Bay Area, working for an architectural firm in Oakland. At the First Presbyterian Church in Berkeley, he met Florence Brichford and found himself smitten, not only by her beauty and charm, but by the fact that she was imdepentantly employed as a teacher and had ambitions. Florence admired his stylish argyle socks and his masterful way of running a meeting, Wedding bells followed on March 21, 1959 marking the beginning of 65 years of wedded bliss. Jack and Flo started in Oakland, tried a few other places, ultimately settling in Pleasanton in 1964, which had a population of about 5,000 at the time. Jack opened his own architecture office on First Street and had his first client within a week. He went on to influence the design and "look" of Pleasanton in many ways. He designed and remodeled many buildings in commercial districts, including The Cheese Factory, the Pleasanton Hotel, The Adobe Plaza, and large stretches of the Main Street business district. He designed the Amphitheater at the Alameda County Fairgrounds, and a number of custom homes in Pleasanton and other cities. Jack also designed many public buildings, including the Pleasanton Police Department and several fire stations. Municipal planning was much more informal in those days. One day in the 60's, a member of the city staff strolled into Jack's office and told him that the city was planning to remove the "Pleasanton" sign over Main Street because it was looking faded and shabby. Jack told him, "No, don't do that, just paint it that color green" [pointing to his filing cabinet] "and paint the frame black." The city repainted the now-iconic sign rather than removing it and Pleasanton's "tourist magnet" was preserved. Another time, he told a city engineer that downtown needed another street parallel to Main Street; the next year, the city laid out Peters Ave. Jack also suggested to the Fair Manager that trees be planted in the parking lot, in the style of the Nut Tree Restaurant in Vacaville. The tree-shaded fairgrounds parking lot can be seen from Bernal Ave. Jack was a member and past President of the Pleasanton Rotary Club, a founding member and past President of the Pleasanton Men's Club, and served on an astounding number of commissions, boards, and committees during his career, including the Valley Memorial Hospital Board of Directors and the Amador Valley Joint Union High School District Board of Trustees. After retiring and closing his architecture office, Jack and Flo traveled the world extensively, visiting every continent except Antartica. Jack was preceded in death by his brothers Charles and Mack, and his son Paul Bras of Pleasanton. He is survived by his beloved wife Florence, his children Diane and David, and and grandchildren Linda, Charlie, Lily, Logan, Taylor, and Alexa. Services will be held on Sunday, November 17, 2024 at Graham Hitch Mortuary at 4167 First Street, Pleasanton. Reception starts at 12:30 p.m.; Service at 1:30 p.m. with brief graveside service and interment at the Pleasanton Pioneer Cemetery immediately afterward. Open house to follow at the family residence.