Corinne Endico Brady, of Chestnut Hill, a community activist involved with many organizations who worked tirelessly to combat injustice and promote public and school libraries, died Jan. 3.
Born in New York City, she was the daughter of the late Felix and Katherine (Gluck) Endico. Her sisters fondly remember the times they all shared with their cousins growing up in the Bronx, putting on plays, making applesauce, hanging out a window to pick cherries off a tree, or sharing meals with grandparents. The family moved to New Rochelle, N.Y., where she went to Ursuline High School before attending Marymount College in Tarrytown, N.Y. After graduation, she built a successful career in office management and production coordination in the music and film industries, which took her, her first husband, Albert Lewis, and their son Jason to Los Angeles.
The beloved wife of the late Thomas Brady, she was the loving mother to Jason (Cherie) Lewis; stepmother to Thomas (Sheri) Brady, Kevin Brady, and Erin (Nick) Solimo; grandmother of Kaitlyn Solimo, Lauren Solimo, Sadie Lewis, Kaya Lewis, Jaylen Lewis, Maeve Brady, and Declan Brady. She is survived by her sisters Joanne Carcano, Katherine Doob, and Mary Endico.
She found lasting love with Tom and married in 1984, bringing together Thomas, Kevin, Erin, and Jason to create a wonderful family. They set upon an amazing journey that took them from New York to the Jersey Shore (with many trips in between) producing treasured memories throughout their 21–year marriage. After Tom’s death in 2005, she remained the cornerstone of the family and was a central part of keeping his memory alive.
Brady had many passions in her life and spending time with her grandchildren was at the top of the list. College visits, sleepovers, watching sports, and attending school events filled her calendar.
Upon retirement, Brady immersed herself in several philanthropic endeavors. She founded and led a public library volunteer program in Pelham Manor, N.Y., overseeing more than 50 volunteers who provided preschool story times and arts and crafts programs. After moving to Philadelphia, she became involved in the library program at the John B. Kelly Elementary School in 2018, as she was deeply concerned about educational inequity. She took over as program director in its early days, expanding the loosely structured program into a well–organized, larger group. It is now an exemplar of volunteer–run school library programs. She was instrumental in securing outside funding to computerize the library. Under her direction, the library program became an integral part of the school, expanding from library visits and story time to include one–on–one reading and math tutoring, author visits, and free book giveaways at the school and the surrounding community.
Brady also was a founding member of the Philadelphia Alliance to Restore School Librarians (PARSL), established in 2022 to advocate for the return of certified school librarians to all buildings in the School District of Philadelphia. She was a vital part of PARSL’s seven–person, all–volunteer core planning team.
She joined the Germantown Avenue Crisis Ministry Team in 2021, serving on its board of directors and enthusiastically providing help wherever it was needed. Her passion centered on the Food Cupboard, and she partnered with members of Abington Meeting to expand food collections and actively recruited volunteers to help with Thursday food distribution. Over the years, she personally brought nine dedicated volunteers into this work, many of whom continue to serve. Brady helped create what is now known as the Community Table, which is stocked weekly with essentials such as toilet tissue, hygiene products, and cleaning supplies.
Alongside her many accomplishments, Brady spent more than 40 years offering love and support to women seeking guidance navigating challenges she herself had overcome. It was never too early in the morning or too late at night for her to answer the phone when she knew a fellow traveler was calling for the kind of mentoring she was uniquely qualified to provide.
A memorial service was held on Jan. 10 at the Abington Friends Meeting, in Jenkintown. Donations to the John B. Kelly Library can be made via: Fund for the School District of Philadelphia, c/o Duane Morris LLP, 30 S. 17th Street, Philadelphia, PA 19103, Attn: Samantha Lee. Note that the funds are to go to John B. Kelly School.
