Patricia L. ‘Pat’ Brass/Bandekow
 

Patricia L. "Pat" Brass/Bandekow (nee Smukalla), former owner Brass’ Lounge of Brookfield, was called peacefully to eternal life Monday, April 25, 2011, at the age of 76.

She was the beloved wife of the late Tom Brass and William "Bill" Bandekow, and the loving companion of William "Bill" Blackley for the past 13 years. She is survived by her children, Tom (Mary) Brass, Sandy (Patrick) Schuette and Tim Brass; her grandchildren, Chris (Alicia) Mohr, Kristin (John) Shane, David and Lauren Schuette; and her brother, John (Naoma) Schmidt.

On Nov. 22, 1963, Pat and Tom opened Brass’ Hi-Fi Lounge in the city of Brookfield (now Pistol Pete’s). For the next 35 years, it would be a mainstay for families and friends to meet and enjoy Friday night fish fries, Christmas Eve Tom & Jerry’s, and the homemade cooking and recipes developed by Pat over the years

In 1976, realizing there was a need for banquet facilities in the area, Pat and Tom added a 250 seat banquet hall to their building. By the second year, Pat’s cooking and restaurant skills were again put to the test as the family started doing all their own catering. Like her fish and chicken fries, the food was superb, resulting in a facility that was continually booked two years in advance. It was Pat’s cooking and hard work that made Brass’ what it was. Experimenting and developing new recipes along with an insight to details gained her the respect of her employees and customers. Mom’s dedication to her family and the business allowed her family to be very proud of what they accomplished together over a 35-year span.

Over the years, Pat and Tom enjoyed snowmobiling with their friends from the Sno-Bees Snowmobile Club, cruising Lake Winnebago on their boat, taking trips in Tom’s restored collector cars and enjoying any free time they could find away from the demands of the restaurant business. In 1983, they leased and later sold the business to their youngest son, Tim Brass, retiring to a home on Lake Sherwood in Adams County. Retirement was brief as they found themselves back in the bar and restaurant business after purchasing a bar and campground north of Wisconsin Dells on Roche-a-Cri Lake. Tom passed away in 1993 shortly after selling the bar. In 1995, Pat met and married a wonderful man, William "Bill" Bandekow. They shared a short time together enjoying the things they both loved to do before Bill passed away unexpectedly in 1996.

Pat was a 1952 graduate of Holy Angels High School. She was proud of the fact that in the early ‘70s she earned her Wisconsin Real Estate license, a career that was ended due to the demands of the banquet business. In the late ‘60s, she joined the League of Women Voters and was actively involved with their successful campaign to reduce the industrial pollution that was choking off Wisconsin’s rivers, streams and lakes.

Visitation will be held from 4 p.m. until the 7 p.m. celebration of life Sunday, May 1, at Krause Funeral Home, 12401 W. National Ave., New Berlin. Services continue at 10 a.m. Monday, May 2, at the funeral home, then to Mother of Good Counsel Catholic Church, 6924 W. Lisbon Ave., at 11 a.m. Burial will be at Holy Cross at a later date.

In lieu of flowers, memorials are appreciated to the American Porphyria Foundation, 4900 Woodway, Suite 780, Houston, TX 77056, www.porphyriafoundation.com.

Krause Funeral Home is serving the family. For more information, call 786-8009 or visit online at www.krausefuneralhome.com.