July 23, 1937 – June 25, 2020
Jay E. Brant was born at home in New Freeport, Pennsylvania, to Ronald E. and Freda (Whipkey) Brant.
Jay attended Waynesburg (PA) High School in 1952, where he had to bike 16 miles home after baseball practice. He graduated from Penn Joint High School in Claridge, Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania in 1955, where his high school yearbook reports that he was an “asset to our baseball team.” As a teenager, he worked at a Howard Johnson restaurant near the New Stanton exit on the Pennsylvania Turnpike. Jay once said that he nearly lost that job after fixing himself an extra large milkshake during a break. His love of ice cream, particularly chocolate, never abated.
Carnegie Institute of Technology, now Carnegie Mellon University, granted Jay a Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering in 1959. There, he and high school friend Jake Patla met Charlie Kwan and Herb Olds, and the four became not only fraternity brothers at Beta Theta Pi, but lifelong friends.
Jay served in the United States Army Corps of Engineers [79th Engineer Group (Construction)] from 1960 to 1962, having achieved the rank of First Lieutenant. He was stationed at Ft. Belvoir, Virginia. After his discharge, his love of cars brought him to Detroit, where he worked as an engineer for the Ford Motor Company. While there, Jay enrolled at Wayne State University Law School, graduating in 1971. Jay began his law career as Special Counsel to the Detroit City Council. In 1977, he became Chief Assistant United States Attorney in Detroit. After leaving that position in 1981, Jay became an adjunct professor of law at Wayne State’s law school before moving to Miami, Florida, in 1982 to become the Executive Assistant to the United States Attorney.
Jay returned to Detroit in February 1984 and began a long career with Honigman Miller Schwartz & Cohn, where his principal practice areas were litigation, criminal law, products liability, and environmental law. Jay was a member of the State Bar of Michigan for 48 years.
Jay married Lynn Richardson in 2009. Together, they had four Airedale Terriers and facilitated the rescue of many others. They held season tickets to Michigan State University football games and women’s basketball games, and they often joined neighbors to cheer on the Spartan men’s basketball team from the comfort of a living room. Jay embraced life in East Lansing. He served on the City’s Housing Commission and frequently appeared before the East Lansing City Council on issues of concern to the City and, in particular, his neighborhood. Jay campaigned for school and library bond issues and the election of council members he believed would advance the best interest of the City.
In retirement, Jay enjoyed playing golf with friends and former colleagues. He had a lifelong love of baseball and was an avid fan of the Detroit Tigers. A hiker and climber, Jay loved being outdoors, though he once confessed to taking a pile of unread newspapers and New Yorker magazines on early camping trips with his family. More recently, he enjoyed the birds and wildlife that visited the backyard. Jay and Lynn also made many trips to New York City, where they enjoyed theater, museums, fine dining, and most importantly, visiting his daughter Kathleen and son-in-law Jeff. Many visits to Stratford and Niagara-on-the-Lake were made to enjoy theater and, along the way, Jay and Lynn made many friends.
Jay is survived by his wife Lynn Karen Richardson, his daughter Kathleen Brant Jones (Jeffrey), sister JoLane Cecconi (Peter), and many cousins, nieces, and nephews. While he never lost his love for the southwest corner of Pennsylvania where he was raised, Jay was a tireless advocate for the City of Detroit. Those who wish to honor him are asked to consider a donation to either the East Lansing Public Library (950 Abbot Road, East Lansing, Michigan 48823) or the Detroit Institute of Arts (5200 Woodward Avenue, Detroit, Michigan 48202).
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