Joseph Charles Bromander, who lived all of his 94 years in Medford, died in his sleep on Friday, November 6, 2026, with his wife beside him.
He was born January 6, 1932, the youngest of three children of Sidney and Eunice (Dawson) Bromander. All three were born at home, a detail his family says he enjoyed telling people. He graduated from Medford Vocational High School in 1950.
Not long after his 18th birthday he was drafted into the Army, and he served in Korea. After he came home, friends introduced him to Mary “Carole” Hackett. They married in 1958 and settled in North Medford, a few blocks from his boyhood home, in the house where they brought up five children. They were married for 68 years.
His father was an electrician and he became one too, earning a master electrician’s license while working at Dee Electric in West Medford, where he rose to shop foreman. He later worked for Tufts University. He belonged to Norman Prince VFW Post 1506 and often tended bar there on weekends, though he did not drink.
At home he gardened. He raised tomatoes, cucumbers and strawberries, grew flowers for his wife, and kept Christmas cacti that he handed off to relatives once the plants outgrew their pots. His family remembers a dry sense of humor and a joke delivered without a smile. His grandchildren remember his answering machine message, which reported that all the “B’s” had left the hive and asked callers to “buzz” them back.
He read history and passed that interest down. He kept a family tree that reached back to relatives in Sweden who, according to family lore, belonged to Swedish royalty.
Besides his wife, he leaves his children, Beth Gilreath and her husband, Mark, of Andover; Jay Bromander and his wife, Susanne, of Stoneham; Stephanie Lendall and her husband, Jay, of Medford; Mark Bromander and his wife, Anne, of Medford; and Andrew Bromander of Fort Lauderdale, Florida. He also leaves six grandchildren, Alexis, Paige, Olivia and Simon Bromander and Derek and Dana Lendall, and many nieces and nephews. The family’s pets were fond of him as well, among them a 12-year-old cat called Baby that favored his lap.
His sister, Helen Moulton, and her husband, Lloyd, and his brother, Sydney Bromander, and his wife, Rose, all of Wilmington, died before him.
Visiting hours are Wednesday, November 11, from noon to 3 p.m. at the Breslin Funeral Home, 610 Pleasant Street, Malden.
Compiled from information published by Breslin Funeral Home, 610 Pleasant Street, Malden. Photograph courtesy of the family via Breslin Funeral Home. This is our own summary, not the family’s obituary; read the full obituary and leave a condolence at the funeral home’s page on Legacy.com. Corrections: we will fix any error promptly.
