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Our Proud Supporters : GEICO |
The Brave Dave Open 2008 Gearing
up for Brave Dave Open
Theodore Ross Branthover | March 19, 1922 – February 16 2009
In Loving Memory Ted was born to Levi and Winnie Branthover on March 19, 1922 in Cambridge Massachusetts. He was the youngest of 7 children and was not one to be left behind. He grew up in Wakefield, Massachussets until his family moved to Greensburg, Pennsylvania in 1929 and then to Washington, DC in 1936, where they first resided in Glover Park before moving to Barnaby Woods in Northwest, Washington, DC. Ted attended Gordon Junior High and graduated from Western High School in 1940. After graduation, Ted worked at Garfinkel’s department store and the Library of Congress where he began his life long love affair with reading. During World War II, he enlisted in the Army as a member of the Signal Corp. He later served in Naples, Italy; Lyon, France and Kaiserslautern, Germany. When Germany surrendered, Ted was stationed in Marseilles and scheduled to be deployed to Burma when V-J Day arrived. Upon returning home, under the GI Bill, Ted attended American University and then received his law degree from Catholic University. He was admitted to the DC Bar in 1951. During these years, he made life-long friendships with many of his fellow GIs. He also met Donna Metcalf, from Midland, Michigan who was working at Garfinkel’s as the baby clothes buyer. It was love at first sight. He swept the lovely redhead off her feet and married her in the Chevy Chase Presbyterian Church on September 13th, 1947, attended by Donna’s cousin Louise Apple Ogle as her maid of honor. Ted and Donna are the proud parents of 6 grown children: Lynne Komai, Ted Branthover, Ned Branthover, Jean Benham, Tom Branthover and Robert Branthover along with their 15 grandchildren. The couple joyfully celebrated their 60th anniversary in 2007 at the Hay-Adams Hotel in Washington DC with their children and grandchildren in attendance. Ted joined GEICO in 1950 where he worked his entire professional career. He retired in 1985 and has maintained many long and meaningful friendships with fellow GEICO employees. Ted was a member of the Optimist Club of Rockville and served as copresident along with Donna. He was an avid golfer and belonged to Lakewood Country Club and later the Montgomery Village Golf Club. There he was an active member for over 32 years serving two terms on its Board. Ted and Donna were particularly proud of the many years they chaired the Harden and Weaver charity golf tournament for Children’s Hospital. Ted was also an active supporter of the Brave Dave charity golf tournament for MS research. Ted loved coaching his sons’ baseball teams and was an active and devoted parent and grandparent. Ted and Donna have been active and devoted members of the Rockville Presbyterian Church for over 50 years. Upon retirement, Donna and Ted travelled with family and friends throughout the U.S. and Europe. They spent many winters in Sarasota, Florida golfing with friends. Ted is survived by his loving sister, Jane Branthover, 94 years old, who is retired and living in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, following a career in the FBI. A personal note from Stacy Lavery:
Dear friends, My five-year-old, Rachel, was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes (aka Juvenile Diabetes) when she was 20 months old. She takes at least 6 insulin shots a day, more if she eats any snacks with carbs, and at least as many fingersticks to check her blood sugar. To date, she's endured OVER 6,500 injections, and counting! We have to count every carb gram she eats, as she gets an injection every time she consumes any carbs. It's a 24x7 job - if she's high at bedtime, and we have to give her extra insulin, we have to check her again around 3am to make sure she doesn't come too low. Low blood sugars affect brain development, and they can be devastating to a growing toddler, so there's no rest for the weary! Thankfully, she's been a trooper through it all, accepting her endless shots and tests, knowing it's part of "how Mommy and Daddy take care of me." She understands that insulin makes her "feel better." She's had to grow up way too fast, as so many other kids do that are dealing with this horrible disease. Many small children run away and cry at shot time, but my sweet Rachel chooses her shot site, and then stands there bravely, awaiting her congratulatory hugs we always give her afterwards for being so courageous. She tells concerned onlookers, "It's no big deal”, though she’s old enough now to express that she wishes she didn’t have diabetes, and that “it’s not fair”. Our youngest daughter, Ally, is 15 months old. She has a significant risk of developing this as well, as her sister was so young at diagnosis. We pray every day that she doesn't get it, and for a cure for Rachel. I'm the State Captain for Maryland for the Join Lee Now Campaign (www.joinleenow.org). I've championed this research ever since she was FDA-approved to begin human trials, and I truly believe it will lead to the cure. The trials are now scheduled to begin in January 2008. We could know in as little as six years if this will translate to humans. No one else has ever permanently reversed and cured Type 1 Diabetes in mice except her. Recently, at least THREE labs have replicated her research, finding that regeneration of the pancreas can happen and reverse long-standing diabetes in mice by stopping the autoimmune attack. Plus, no transplants or toxic immunosuppressant drugs were used. Once they had the treatment, the diabetes went away FOREVER. There’s also much evidence that points to this therapy helping with ALL autoimmune diseases, such as Lupus, MS, Scleraderma, Crohn's Disease, and Grave’s Disease, just to name a few. This is revolutionary science we're talking about - history in the making. There's something bigger than us at work here. Please join us and be part of history. Without a cure, she will face this every single day, for the rest of her life. We need your help. Let's make it so that my little Rachel can one day say, "I used to have Diabetes."
Hopeful for a cure, New Videos featuring Brave Dave Comcast Sports - 'Fore the Good Life"
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Tournament
Date: 
Theodore Ross Branthover
Dr. Denise Faustman and Rachel
