Rita Brace, 88, a South Side native who made great gains for Chicago Police officers in the 1950s as a co-founder and former president of the Chicago Police Wives Association, died in her home Sunday, July 30, after suffering complications from Alzheimer’s disease. Mrs. Brace’s husband, Lester, two brothers, a nephew and two cousins were Chicago police officers; and their tough times on the force in the 1940s and ’50s moved her to organize thousands of wives to lobby on behalf of their husbands. Explaining her efforts in a June 18, 1950, Tribune article, Mrs. Brace said it was because “a bricklayer makes double the salary of a policeman, with no danger involved.” Mrs. Brace became the group’s president and remained with the association for about 10 years, a time when officers were able to earn more money and better treatment on the force. In the Englewood neighborhood where she lived, Mrs. Brace made sure her children focused on their education, faith and the importance of family. “She was always teaching us how to be good people,” her daughter Marita Tierney said. That same passion also showed in her commitment to St. Justin Martyr Parish and its Altar and Rosary Society. For more than 30 years, Mrs. Brace was there to comfort the families of grieving relatives, tend to sick parishioners or prepare medical supplies for missionaries overseas. “She is an example of the great things that an ordinary person can do,” her daughter said. Mrs. Brace grew up in Chicago Lawn and attended Aquinas High School in the South Shore neighborhood before she married in 1931. The couple, known as a fine dancing duo, lived in the Englewood neighborhood until 1973, when they moved to Oak Forest. Along with her daughter, Mrs. Brace’s survivors include four sons, Regis, Jerome, Daniel and Lawrence; and 20 grandchildren. Services were held Thursday.
