Charles "Charlie" W. Brandt

Charles “Charlie” W. Brandt, 91, of Milan, died Monday, August 1, 2022 at home.  A Mass of Christian Burial will be 10:30 am Saturday, August 6, 2022 at St. Ambrose Catholic Church, Milan.  Live-stream will be available by visiting https://vimeo.com/735648566.  Visitation will be from 4-7 pm Friday, August 5, 2022 at Wheelan-Pressly Funeral Home and Crematory, Rock Island, with a rosary being recited at 3:30 pm.  Burial will take place at Calvary Cemetery, Rock Island.  Memorials may be made in care of Calvary Cemetery Road Improvement Project, Tudi’s Tribe, or the Milan Humane Society.

Charles was born in Rock Island, Illinois on December 12, 1930, a son of Henry G. Sr. and Agnes M. Wingard Brandt.  He married Patricia Ryan on October 3rd, 1953 at Sacred Heart Cathedral, Davenport.

Charles was a U.S. Air Force veteran.

Charles founded Brandt Construction Company in April 1959.  He was President and Chairman of the Board. The company grew through his hard nose mentality, spreading into all industries within the construction field. 63 years in the business gave him the title of President for nine different companies. Through his expansion, he was able to touch the lives of many.  He treated every employee like they were his own family, which speaks volumes considering the amount of lifetime employees he had.

Charles was a member of St. Ambrose Catholic Church, Milan.  He served 64 years as a Third Degree Knight in the Knights of Columbus Council 532, Davenport. He was also a member of the TPA Quad City Post, The Moose Lodge #190, Milan American Legion Post 569 and Rock Island VFW Post 1303.

Charlie was an avid hunter and fisherman. He loved spending time down on the farms with his sons and grandsons. They would deer and goose hunt as well as take trips down to Costa Rica chasing tarpon well into his 80’s. He loved construction so much that he did it in his free time. He could always be found on the farm playing with his construction equipment and his dogs. He loved his Labradors and had many over the years. He also enjoyed horse racing in his younger years and even owned a few.  

Those left to cherish his memory include his wife, Patricia Brandt, Milan; children, Terry Brandt, Rock Island, Tim (Krystal Miller) Brandt, Milan, Jane (Kevin Trasorras) Brandt, Mexico, Todd (Laura) Brandt, Rock Island and Trent (Cathy Vanthournout) Brandt, Milan; six grandchildren; and six great-grandchildren.

He was preceded in death by his parents, brothers, Henry G. Brandt Jr. and William “Bill” Brandt, sister, Betty Zwer and daughter-in-law, Brenda Brandt.

Online condolences, memories and expressions of sympathy may be left to the family at wheelanpressly.com.

To send flowers to the family or plant a tree in memory of Charles "Charlie" W. Brandt, please visit our floral store.