Raymond Brokamp

Raymond Brokamp, 91, of Cincinnati, passed peacefully on April 4, 2020. The entire community is invited to join in a celebration of Ray's life to be held on his birthday, Sunday, Aug. 2, 2020, at Walnut Hills High School, from 2:00 - 5:00 P.M. From humble beginnings growing up in Camp Washington as the son of a streetcar driver, Ray graduated from the University of Cincinnati and served in the U.S. Air Force before returning home to begin his career as an educator. His three decades working in Cincinnati Public Schools culminated in his roles as principal of Walnut Hills High School during a pivotal time in the school's history, and eventually assistant superintendent and interim superintendent. After retiring from Cincinnati Public Schools in 1987, he went on to spend the next two decades working as director of the Cincinnati USA Regional Chamber's Leadership Cincinnati program. He left an indelible mark on the community through his service on the boards of countless local nonprofits including the YMCA, Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, Hoxworth Blood Center, Inroads, Cincinnatus Association, Bridges for a Just Community, and the Literacy Network of Greater Cincinnati. His tireless civic engagement through these organizations and many others earned him a myriad of accolades and awards, including the Great Living Cincinnatian Award given by Cincinnati Chamber in 2009. Ray's deep and abiding commitment to the community of Cincinnati was surpassed only by his love for and devotion to his family. He was preceded in death by his wife of more than six decades, Pauline, as well as his father Joseph, mother Josephine and brother Joe. He is survived by his five children, Debbie Haffey (Dick), Greg (Nancy), Pam Giuliano (Rick), Jeff (Sherri), and Steve (Andrea), along with 21 grandchildren and 22 great-grandchildren. A military veteran in US Air Force, eternal educator and selfless leader, Ray embodied the lessons he taught his family and students with a combination of gratitude and humility, and saw it as his privilege to have the opportunity to make a difference in the community he loved so well. In Ray's own words, "if you leave your life without any evidence of the fact that you've contributed to someone else, one would have to wonder whether you achieved anything at all." In lieu of flowers, the family invites you to honor Rays memory by donating to: The Brokamp Family Education Fund, c/o Greater Cincinnati Foundation, 720 E. Pete Rose Way, Suite 120, Cincinnati, OH 45202; or at www.gcfdn.org . A Private Mass of Christian Burial was celebrated. T P WHITE & SONS Funeral Home serving the family.