Ron "The Rainmaker" Brady passed away on Oct. 20, 2009, after a very short battle with terminal cancer. He lived a rich life and passed on at the age of 73.
Ron was born July 3, 1936, in Arkansas City, Kan., to Rosella and Dwight Brady. After moving to Wenatchee, Wash., for a short time, the family moved to Spokane, Wash. He spent his remaining school years in and around Liberty Lake, Wash. Growing up, Ron was an avid water skier and participated in water ski shows. This led him to fall in love with snow skiing.
Immediately after graduating from Central Valley High School in 1955, he went on to attend Washington State University. While at school, he was a member of the Phi Kappa Tai fraternity. During his college years, Ron took a break and served actively in the Army, followed by the reserves (1957-1965). In 1957, through the ROTC program at WSU, he obtained his private pilot's license. Ron graduated from WSU in 1964 with a bachelor's degree in geography (major in economics and a minor in business).
Throughout his time in college and the military, Ron continued to ski. His love of skiing led him to Mt. Spokane, where in 1960 he began his ski instructing career. During the mid-1960s, Ron's skiing brought him part-time to the Ketchum area, when he worked for Worldwide Wolverine as a Rossignol ski rep. Concurrently, he pursued an education in agricultural engineering at Ontario Agricultural College. Upon graduating, Ron worked throughout southern Idaho (Nampa to Idaho Falls) for Ames Irrigation, JB Knight, and the Redi-Rain company. For these companies, he designed, engineered and sold farm irrigation systems on a massive scale. After spending as much time as possible in the Ketchum area, he decided to move permanently to the Wood River Valley in 1970. At this time, he joined Sun Valley Co. as a ski instructor. In 1971, Ron used his knowledge of commercial irrigation to establish Rainmaker Sprinklers, Landscape and Maintenance, a residential landscape company. In 1975 he married Gail Hickey. Their daughter, Kelly, was born in 1981. Michael, their son, was born in 1985. Ron retired from Sun Valley Co. in spring 2002.
Ron loved life in the Wood River Valley. He enjoyed time at the gun club, was passionate for sailing at Redfish Lake and continued to fly as a private pilot whenever possible. He loved spending time with his friends at local "hangouts" like the former Western and Buffalo cafes, Irving's Red Hots, Perry's, the Pioneer and the Casino Club/Barber Shop. The Bradys are so grateful for their wonderful friends who live/lived near and far and never lost touch. It is the friendships of our lives that we ultimately come to love and depend on; these give us more than what things could ever produce.
Ron was preceded in death by his parents, Rosella and Dwight Brady. He is survived by his wife, Gail Brady; his son, Michael Brady; his daughter, Kelly (Dan) Choma; and his grandson, Jacob Choma.
To celebrate Ron's life, a family service was held on Oct. 23 in Hailey, Idaho. A public memorial/potluck will be held for friends and family at the American Legion Hall in Ketchum, Idaho, on Nov. 21, at 2 p.m.
In lieu of flowers, memorials may be sent to the Ketchum Parks Memorial Fund.
