William E. Bratton, NYPD commissioner’s father, dead at 89
William E. Bratton, the father of Police Commissioner William Bratton, is shown in this undated photo with his wife, June. The elder Bratton died Thursday, March 3, 2016, at 89 in Massachusetts, where he lived, officials said. Credit: William E. Bratton, the father of Police Commissioner William Bratton, is shown in this undated photo with his wife, June. The elder Bratton died Thursday, March 3, 2016, at 89 in Massachusetts, where he lived, officials said.
William E. Bratton, the father of Police Commissioner William Bratton, died Thursday at the age of 89 in Massachusetts, where he lived almost his entire life, department officials said Friday.
The elder Bratton served in the Navy during World War II. In the Pacific Theater, he served as a gunner on the aircraft carrier USS Randolph, officials said.
After the war, he worked two jobs — for the U.S. Postal Service and in a metal-plating shop — to support his wife June and their two children.
“He had a hardscrabble upbringing and always worked two jobs to support himself and later his family,” his son said in a statement. “He’d tell you the highlight of his life was meeting our mother.”
After the death of his wife about a decade ago, William E. Bratton settled into a daily routine in Weymouth, Massachusetts, driving each morning to his favorite breakfast place, where he invariably ordered a plain doughnut, and bought a newspaper and scratch-off lottery tickets. Then he’d visit his wife’s grave site nearby.
A devout Catholic, Bratton slept with rosary beads and had a picture of the Pope on his bedroom wall, his daughter Patricia Ann Bratton recalled.
In addition to his children, survivors include two grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.
The funeral will be held Tuesday at Holy Family Church inRockland, Massachusetts. In addition to Commissioner Bratton, a number of high-ranking NYPD officials are expected to attend.
Burial will be in Holy Family Cemetery in Rockland.
Anthony M. DeStefano has been a reporter for Newsday since 1986 and covers law enforcement, criminal justice and legal affairs from its New York City offices.
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