Curtis William Brand

Curtis William Brand, 71, of Arlington, VA, died March 24, 2016. He was born on June 15, 1944 in Queens, NY, the son of William and Rosa Brand, and brother of Joan Kelly. He was educated at Regis High School in Manhattan, studied physics at Boston College, and received his MBA from Columbia University.

On July 22, 1967 he married Judith Powers. They have three children, Matthew, Peter and Kathryn, and one grandchild, Alia.

He began a career at Mobil in 1968 as a systems analyst, and found his calling in the MIddle East department. Throughout his years of inspiring work with Mobil, he lived in New York, Jeddah, London, Riyadh, and Virginia. In Saudi Arabia he served as chairman of Mobil Saudi Arabia. He was admired for his ability to remain calm and offer innovative insights to complex issues in high tension situations, a skill that served him long after he retired from Mobil in 2000.

When asked what Curtis was going to do in his retirement, he would answer, “I’m going to do all the things you wish you had time to do.” In 2001 Curtis became a member of the ANERA Board of Directors. He went on to serve as chair of the Board of Directors and executive committee for four years, and served on the board until his death. This work was a true passion of his, and allowed him to channel his leadership and devotion into improving the lives of Palestinian refugees. He served with distinction on other volunteer boards as well, including AMIDEAST, the Middle East Policy Council, and Jesuit Refugee Services.

Above all Curtis was a loving husband and devoted father. He was a graceful and gentle man, was generous in everything that he did, and especially loved to share a good meal with his family. He was a tall man with a big open heart, and was always tuned into how the people around him felt. Raspberries, beignets and hot fudge sundaes brought him much joy. He was an avid and self-described mediocre golfer, but no one could doubt his skill with the New York Times crossword puzzle, which he completed in record time.

Curtis was always a superb gentleman and a man of optimism and good humor. He faced the grave, degenerative illness of ALS with courage and fortitude.

In lieu of flowers please make donations to the Johns Hopkins ALS Center for Stem Cell and Regeneration Research:

http://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/neurology_neurosurgery/research/labs/als_center/contact.html

A Mass of Christian Burial will take place at Holy Trinity Catholic Church, 3513 N. St. NW, Washington, D.C. 20007 on Wednesday, March 30th at 10:30 AM. Interment to follow at 1:30 PM at Columbia Gardens Cemetery, 3411 Arlington Blvd. Arlington, VA 22201.