Rash's Surname Index
Notes for John Jr. BROMLEY
John Bromley Jr., 84, whose quest for adventure led him from the comforts of a prominent family to the military, where he was decorated for his exploits as a flier during World War II, died of cancer Monday at Cathedral Village in the Andorra section of Philadelphia.
Mr. Bromley spent his early life in Center City, where his maternal grandfather, William H. Kingsley, chaired Penn Mutual Insurance and his father's family owned Quaker Lace Co.
Mr. Bromley and his family moved to West Chester, where they raised Thoroughbreds, but he eschewed the pastoral life of a gentleman farmer.
"He wanted to fly," his daughter Bobbie Bromley Wells said. "He volunteered for the aviation component of the National Guard." When World War II erupted, National Guard pilots became part of the Army Air Force. Mr. Bromley was assigned to fly bombers in Europe and, in 1943, was awarded the Air Medal for his part in antisubmarine patrols.
But his skills as an aviator could not save the B-17 Flying Fortress that he was piloting over Germany in 1944 when it was attacked by enemy fighter planes. The massive aircraft was so badly damaged that it began spiraling wildly toward earth.
"Somehow, my brother found a parachute and got out," Priscilla B. Crowell said. "He was always very clearheaded under stress."
Mr. Bromley spent the remainder of the war in a German prison camp.
After returning home, he continued to fly and eventually purchased a small Cessna that he loved using for weekend jaunts.
He rarely soared as high in business as in his personal pursuits, however, daughter Tina Bromley White said. His investments never satisfied him as much as his woodworking projects, and his tenure as an executive with the family lace business seemed less engaging than a good golf game.
"It never bothered him that he wasn't able to make a splash in business," White said. "He was always a little boy at heart. That was his charm."
Mr. Bromley served as president of the Philadelphia Aviation Country Club, a group of devoted small-aircraft pilots, and was the chief organizer of the Senior Men's Silver Putter event at his beloved Sunnybrook Golf Club.
As for the medal he won as a young flier with a thirst for daring, he rarely spoke of it.
"He was very funny about compliments," White said. "He would always have more fun giving one than getting one."
Mr. Bromley's second wife, Marion Tilghman Bromley, died last year.
In addition to Crowell, Wells and White, he is survived by daughters Hope Bromley and Ellen Bromley McFarland, four grandchildren, one great-grandchild, four stepchildren, and two stepgrandchildren.
Funeral services will be held Saturday at 10:30 a.m. at St. David's Episcopal Church, 763 Valley Forge Rd., Wayne. Burial will be private.
Memorial contributions may be made to Thomas Jefferson University Cancer Research, 925 Chestnut St., Suite 110, Philadelphia 19107.
William R. Macklin's e-mail address is bmacklin@@phillynews.com
Copyright (c) 2001 The Philadelphia Inquirer
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