Noble C. Bratton Jr.

Noble C. Bratton, Jr. was born in the family home at 1627 Garfield Street in The Bronx on February 13, 1927. He was the second son of Elizabeth Carney Bratton Glover of Cheswold, Delaware and Noble C. Bratton, Sr. of North Carolina. Noble C. Bratton, Jr. was a kind man with a great sense of duty and a strong allegiance to family, friends, the working man and woman, fellow veterans, and the Democratic Party. He was a lifelong fan of the New York Yankees and Chicago Bears, and would often talk about how his dad and Uncle Jim Bratton would take him to see Negro League baseball games at Yankee Stadium. He was once an amateur tenor saxophonist and loved to relax by listening to Jazz or Classical music. He was neither ambitious nor greedy, and was almost friendly to a fault in public. He was witty, slow to anger, and almost never used a curse word. One wondered whether his civilized calm was the influence of his peaceful grandmother, the beloved Gertrude "Mama Dee" Carney, was inherited from his parents or was a result of growing up in one of the few truly integrated neighborhoods in New York City in the 1930s and '40s, or was just plain inborn. Maybe his rare demeanor was a combination of it all. Noble C. Bratton, Jr. served in the Occupation Army in World War II after the fall of Hitler's Germany. The highest rank he achieved was acting Staff Sergeant. He worked for the U.S. Post Office for over 30 years, spending much of that time as a Postal Union delegate. He was proud to have been part of the groundbreaking U.S. Postal Strike of 1970 which began in New York City and was resolved favorably for the workers. Mr. Bratton would spend his last years at the Post Office as a Weapons Training Supervisor and Development Specialist Supervisor. He also graduated with a B.A. in History from Queens College in 1973. After retiring from the Post Office, he became a paralegal and worked at the Bronx County Courthouse, spent several years at the New York City Housing Authority, and counseled veterans for the 369th Veterans Association. After fully retiring, he moved to Baltimore County in late 1999 where he spent his last years. He married Ethelyn French in The Bronx in 1953 and they had two sons, Noble III and Elliot. Mr. Bratton lived to see both of his sons and his two granddaughters graduate from college. When he died on January 17th, it was after two debilitating strokes brought on, in part, by prostate cancer. He died peacefully. Noble C. Bratton, Jr. is survived by his sons, Noble III and Elliot, his granddaughters Emma and Alexa Bratton, his wife Ethel, his brothers Thomas Bratton, David, Clarence, and Mario Glover, a sister Shirley Lavelle, and an extended family that includes a host of nieces and nephews. To send flowers to the family or plant a tree in memory of Noble C. Bratton Jr., please visit our Heartfelt Sympathies Store.

Noble C. Bratton Jr.

February 13, 1927 - January 17, 2015