It was on Valentine’s Day 2008 when reader Victoria Brant of Munster brought me a batch of her delicious “Cain and Abel Chocolate Chip Cookies” to my desk in the newsroom. The recipe, which she said was given to her years ago by her friend Theresa Dye, was featured in my third published cookbook “Further From the Farm” (2010 Pediment Press) and included the fun origin for the recipe name.
Vickie, who is also a broadcast media name in Northwest Indiana paired for years with her producer Nick Mantis, alerted me last week with the sad news that her father-in-law William Brant Jr. died on Feb. 5 at age 91 surrounded by friends and his loyal family caregiver Sandra McHenry at his side.
A builder and visionary, William Brant Jr. had entrepreneurial spirit and founded Brant Construction, the company he dedicated his career to with a channeled passion for building his community, with his work embraced as an extension of his life. Born in Hammond, he was a proud graduate of Hammond High School and Purdue University.
It was in 1969 when William Brant Jr., joined three fellow Northwest Indiana developers, Merle Nicewander, Florian O’Day and Harold Rueth to combine their talents and resources to team with Donald S. Powers with the donation of five acres of the then-15-acre parcel Fairmeadows Project for what would be the initial step for the construction of today’s Community Hospital on Calumet Avenue in Munster.
– Original Credit: Photo courtesy of the Brant Fami
As detailed by author Jane Bomberger in the 275-page hardcover “The Community Hospital: An Impossible Dream” (2007 CFNI Publications) “each of the five men also donated approximately $20,000 in cash to improve the construction site to help cover streets, sewer and water, with the land alone reportedly worth at least $100,000 ranking the combined donation as the largest corporate donation to the hospital project.”
“Dad leaves a legacy of love, community and zest for life,” said his son Jeff, who is Vickie’s husband.
“Shaped by a sense of duty and patriotism, he joined the Navy, serving as a Lieutenant in the Pacific fleet. During his service, he married his college sweetheart, my mom Edna, his beloved wife of 68 years. Stationed across the Pacific, including in Honolulu and Tokyo, his time in the Navy fostered a great love of traveling and adventure. He and our family explored the globe, often with him in the pilot’s seat, including treks to the Vatican, and eventually spending many years at my parents’ favorite Florida hideaway.”
Alongside flying and traveling, Jeff and Vickie said William Brant Jr. was an avid outdoorsman and enjoyed camaraderie out on the water and on a hunt, especially travels to Africa.
“Always vibrant, gregarious, and a true friend to all, he invested in and built up his community as well as the people around him,” Jeff said.
“Dad was the first president of Construction Advancement. An eternal optimist and always there to lend a hand, he faced every challenge with a smile and wink. He also loved a well-made Old-Fashioned.”
Besides changing the landscape and communities with his building projects in Indiana, William Brant Jr. was also a successful developer in Florida, California, New York and Louisiana. It was back in 1926, when William Brant Sr. constructed a residential subdivision in Highland and opted to name it “Brantwood.”
“My family also had a 500 acre farm in the Merrillville area and we sold 100 acres of that ground so the Methodist Hospital Southlake Campus could be built in the 1970s as we then developed the rest of the area,” Jeff said.
Vickie said she remembered her father-in-law as a fun adventurer seeker who loved his aviation hobby.
“My father-in-law Bill always flew his own airplane for years,” Vickie said.
“And when he got a bigger plane, of course, he installed a bar in it and hired a pilot. I remember one time he had a helicopter fly him home and landed in the backyard behind his home. I’m sure this was much to the amusement of their neighbors, who were also their best friends. I remember my mother-in-law being happy that the helicopter blew the leaves out of their yard.”
– Original Credit: Photo courtesy of Community Foundation of Northwest Indiana
William Brant Jr. is survived by wife Edna Brant and his three children: Cathy (Thomas) and James (Alecia) in addition to Jeff and wife Vickie. He is also survived by brother, Jack Brant (Judy); as well as five grandchildren: Sarah Gray (Phillip), Cathryne Elizabeth, William Brant, Nicholas Friedrich and Taylor Victoria and two great-grandchildren. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to Westminster Presbyterian Church, 8955 Columbia Ave. in Munster.
“One of my fondest memories is on my wedding day when I said to my father-in-law that I’m so lucky to marry into his family and he said they were lucky to have me, which will live in my heart forever,” Vickie said.
“I took a cooking class in Italy and I couldn’t wait to come home and teach my father-in-law how to make gnocchi with a delicious red sauce. We were elbows deep in flour and potatoes but it was delish. He really enjoyed good food and he loved my desserts, even though my mother-in-law would always say they didn’t eat dessert, yet my father-in-law would always come back for seconds.”
Vickie said an easy chilled cake-like pudding using fresh berries and topped with a rum-infused whipped cream was among her father-in-law’s favorite dessert requests.
Columnist Philip Potempa has published four cookbooks and is the director of marketing at Theatre at the Center. He can be reached at pmpotempa@comhs.org or mail your questions: From the Farm, P.O. Box 68, San Pierre, Ind. 46374.
Chilled Berry Pan Pudding with Rum Laced Whipped Cream
Makes 8 servings
Pudding:
1 pint fresh strawberries, cleaned and sliced
1 1/2 cups sugar
3 half pints of fresh raspberries, divided use
2 half pints of fresh blueberries
2 tablespoons raspberry brandy
1 loaf (1 pound or slightly more) of brioche or any egg bread
Whipped topping:
1 cup cold heavy cream
3 tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 tablespoon dark rum
Directions:
1. To make pudding, cook strawberries with sugar and 1/4 cup water in a large saucepan, uncovered for 5 minutes, stirring to blend, before adding 2 cups of the raspberries and all of the blueberries and simmering for a couple minutes.
2. Once berry mixture is removed from heat, add the remaining raspberries and the brandy and stir to combine.
3. Slice bread loaf and remove any crusts and discard, before arranging bread slices to cover the bottom of a round 8-inch diameter by 3-inch deep baking dish.
4. Cover the bottom layer with half of the warm berry mixture before adding another layer of bread and finishing with the remaining berry mixture to saturate the pudding.
5. Place a piece of plastic wrap over the pudding and weight it down with a large plate that is the same diameter as the baking dish. Chill in refrigerator for 6-8 hours.
6. Before serving, make the whipped topping by pouring the heavy cream into a chilled bowl and beating with an electric mixer until it starts to thicken. Add in sugar, vanilla and rum and continue to whip until stiff.
7. Use a knife around the edges of the chilled pudding to unmold and plate and serve in slices garnished with whipped topping.
