Obituary of Mary Judith Brady

Mary J. Brady, 85, of Cascade, Iowa died peacefully at Bethany Home on Sunday, August 13, 2017. 

Visitation will occur on Wednesday, August 16^th from 3:00 pm to 7:00 pm and from 9:30 am to 10:30 am Thursday, August 17^th at St. Matthias Church in Cascade where a Mass of Christian Burial will commence at 10:30 am.  Rev. Douglas Loecke will preside. Burial will follow at Calvary Cemetery.

Mary was born on March 21, 1932, the daughter of Joseph and Teresa (Ryle) Herard.  She graduated in 1950 from the former St. Martin’s High School in Cascade and received her BA from Marycrest College in 1954.  In the 1970’s she pursued professional education in insurance at the University of Iowa. 

Mary Brady is survived by three children: Terri Brady (David Johnson) of Chicago, IL, Mark (Jamie) Brady of Chicago, IL, and Matthew Brady of New York, NY; and four grandchildren: Mary, Brian, Grace and Sarah Brady.  Mary was preceded in death by three children: Mary Jo, John Patrick and Sarah Elizabeth; her parents and her brother Monsignor Joseph P. Herard.

After graduating from Marycrest, Mary taught high school in Hopkinton, Iowa.  Later she became the Health Recreation Program Director at the YWCA in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.  In 1962 she began teaching high school at Aquin in Cascade.  In 1974 she became the owner of J. C. Herard Agency, an insurance business established by her father in the 1920’s.  At the time Mary was among the few Iowa women who owned and ran independent insurance agencies.  She was a long-standing member of the Iowa Independent Insurance Agents and won many awards.

Mary was active in the Cascade community.  Her service included memberships in the Tri-County Historical Society, American Legion Auxiliary, the Shady Rest Auxiliary, the Cascade Chamber of Commerce, and the Cascade Library Board.  She served on the St. Matthias Parish fundraising committee to build the new Aquin Elementary Catholic School. Mary was a founding Director for CARE (Cascade Area Resources for Education) and helped lead the foundation’s successful effort to fund and build the Ellen Kennedy Fine Arts Center. 

Mary loved theater, music, politics, Iowa sports, home design, bridge, sewing and quilting, gardening, travel and coffee at Grandma’s Kitchen with “the ladies.” She was a loyal supporter of Cascade High School’s cross country teams and drama productions.

The family would like to thank Bethany Home and Hospice of Dubuque for their kindness and care.  The family requests that memorials support the Alzheimer’s Association of Dubuque at alz.org/greateriowa (please specify dubuque chapter) or mailed to Alzheimer's Association, Fountain Park, 2728 Asbury Rd., Suite 515, Dubuque, IA 52001.