Saratoga News

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Saratoga's first memorial bench will be dedicated to Brandeberry

By Shannon Burkey

Those who knew Jerry Brandeberry describe him as a hero, a perfect gentleman, humorous and an all around stand-up guy--the kind of person everyone wants to be around.

"He was my hero," said Brandeberry's son, David. "He taught me a lot about being a man and he was a good friend."

On Dec. 4, those close to Brandeberry, 62, had to say goodbye as he lost his battle with cancer. Since then, his friends and family have been remembering the good times they had with him and have been looking for ways to keep his memory alive.

While looking at the city of Saratoga's website, Brandeberry's good friend from his childhood days in Michigan, Toni Federe, said she stumbled upon the city's new Tree and Bench Dedication Program and knew she had found the perfect way to honor him.

"We wanted to do something that we knew Jerry would really like, but we didn't have anything particular in mind," Federe said, "but we knew we wanted it to be in Saratoga because this city and living here was so much a part of Jerry."

To get things started, Federe, who lives in Southern California, contacted Brandeberry's business partner and friend, Joe Barresi. Barresi, who helped purchase the bench, lives in Saratoga and was able to help in getting the administrative end of things done to get the process going.

Although the city offers a list of approved sites to choose from, the pair decided to choose their own site that was approved by the city's Public Works Department. They decided dedicating a bench in the Village would be a fitting way to honor Brandeberry's memory, so they chose a location in front of one of his favorite restaurants, one that he frequented at least once a week-- Bai Tong.

"This seemed like such a cool idea," said his son. "He always talked about how much he loved Saratoga and loved living downtown."

Since moving to Saratoga in 1982, Brandeberry, a single father of three sons, lived in the area around the Village, and on most nights he could be found walking around the area and dining at the various restaurants, according to his son.

Friends and family said they think a bench in front of his favorite restaurant in a city that he loved so much is something that he would have really liked.

"Jerry has lived all over the world, but he always came back to Saratoga," Federe said. "This is where he called home."

Since the program's inception Aug. 3, 2005, the bench being dedicated in the memory of Brandeberry is the first to be purchased.

Councilwoman Kathleen King purchased the first and only tree to be dedicated in the memory of her late father, shortly after the council adopted the program.