Rodney Brandt , 80, died on Dec. 5, 2022 in Stockton, Illinois — a village that wouldn't have been the same without him. It's where he spent most of his life with his wife of 48 years, where he raised his children, served as mayor for 21 years, and played active roles in his family and community that he cared about deeply.

A 1959 graduate of Stockton High School, he was known best by some as a dedicated civil servant, acting as a Stockton Village board member since May 1989, then as village president, a role he had from May 2001 to the very end of his life. Some knew him in his professional life, working at Hudson's grocery store, as a real estate broker, then for First National Bank of Stockton and its successors. Others might have recognized his booming voice from the stands of a sporting event, of which he attended and supported many as a Stockton Blackhawk booster, Little League Commissioner and part of the Blackhawk Football Chain Gang Crew. He was a member and talented golfer at the Stockton Atwood Golf Course (where he was a men's club champion) and a student in childhood and congregant in adulthood of the Holy Cross Catholic Church.

But the titles Rod may have been most proud of were husband and father. He was one half of the inseparable, active, adventurous, ever-present "Rod and Lou," and the patriarch of a blended clan that he never treated as anything other than his own family.

While he was born an only child to Bart and Anita Brandt on Dec. 19, 1941 in Dubuque, Iowa, he went on to fill his life and his West Benton Avenue home to the brim with children, then grandchildren. Rod had his first three kids — Becky, Barry and Brian — with the late Jo Ann (Heidenriech) Bower, whom he shared 11 years of marriage with.

Later, Lou and two more children — Kirk and Jesse — would come into his life. About a year before Rod and Lou's humble wedding on Nov. 16, 1974, Lou remembers when she first met the tall, handsome, mustachioed man at the golf course. Their first date, which involved taking a bunch of Holy Cross basketball players to Dixon, Illinois, would foreshadow a life filled with going to sporting events together. They attended every state basketball tournament from 1974 to 2019, and they traveled to many NCAA Final Fours and other March Madness games. Their shared love for Stockton athletics and the Chicago Cubs — as well as their competing loves for the Chicago Bears (Rod) and Green Bay Packers (Lou) — were only topped by their dedicated fandom for whatever sports teams their kids and grandkids were on. They were the pair you could always count on to be on the sidelines, present for every game they could be.

But it wasn't just at sporting events — Rod was there at Thanksgiving with a homemade pecan pie in hand; at birthdays with his favorite cherry cake; at the lake on the Fourth of July with a whole mess of fireworks and no formal training; he was there at Christmas, where he always made the entire Brandt/Bower group feel like one family; he was on the party bus for family trips to Wrigley Field; at a family tailgate in some parking lot; or spending time at his kids' vacation homes in Breckenridge, Fort Myers, and on Lake Wisconsin. Time spent was one of Rod's love languages, and he showed it with abandon. He gave all of his children the will and determination to succeed in life, and he taught them how to find their own paths to raising loving families.

His long and fun-filled retirement allowed him to travel, go on afternoon rides with Lou and friends, check out breweries, perform mayoral duties and drive wherever family was on any given day. Rod will be remembered as someone who chose his words carefully, set high standards for himself and others, gave sage advice, helped fill the room with laughter and showed his love in actions. He was well-dressed, he worked hard and played hard, but a handyman he was not. (Just ask his kids who received electric shocks getting on the camper bus that wasn't properly grounded.)

But one thing he was exceptionally good at was making people feel connected. His support — for his kids, his grandkids, his community, his church, his sports teams — created countless memories, strong family bonds and lasting friendships that went beyond him.

A battle with cancer cut his active life too short. But even in his last two challenging years — made better by the compassionate medical oversight of his daughter and a nurse practitioner, Becky — Rod lived his life, as he always had, with dignity, strength and love.

He built the foundation for a strong family and a strong community — and they are his legacy. Rod Brandt was a husband, father, stepfather, father-in-law, grandfather, mayor, coach, fan, golfer and friend who will be loved and remembered forever by so many.

Rod is preceded in death by his parents, Bart and Anita Brandt, and his granddaughter, Taylor Brandt. He is survived by his wife, Lou Brandt; his children, Becky (Dave) Behling, Barry (Marci) Brandt, Brian (Brenda) Brandt, Kirk (Amy) Haring and Jesse (Kellie) Brandt; and his grandchildren, Alex (Natalie), Andie, Jonah, Grant, Casey, Connor, Anna, Branden, Caleb, Payton and Bryce.

A visitation will be held on Monday, December 12th from 4:00 to 8:00 p.m. at Holy Cross Catholic Church 223 E Front Ave in Stockton. The funeral service will be Tuesday, December 13th at 11:00 a.m. with a visitation beginning at 10:00 a.m. also at the church. Interment will take place at Holy Cross Catholic Cemetery in Stockton.

In lieu of flowers, memorials in Rod's name can be made to Holy Cross Catholic Church or the V Foundation, a cancer research foundation founded by ESPN and legendary basketball coach Jim Valvano. https://vfoundation.donordrive.com/campaign/Rod-Brandt-Memorial