On Monday, August 14, 2023, Terrence Patrick Broderick, Sr. of Pleasanton, loving husband, father of two, and grandfather of six, passed away at 84. Terry was born in Little Rock, Arkansas, to his mother Marguerite on September 8, 1938, a hotly debated seven — or was it five? — minutes before his beloved twin, Dennis. He spent his childhood in Little Rock and, at 17, enlisted in the U.S. Navy, serving in Texas and Japan.
He was discharged in 1959 as Aviation Electronic Technician, 2nd Class, forever proud to have served.
Moving to Santa Barbara, California, to be near his older brother, Jim, Terry met Susan Linquist, whom he would marry in 1964 and devote his life to for the next 59 years. For the first seven of those years, Terry worked full-time as a Safeway clerk while attending college, becoming father to Patricia and then, 16 months later, to Terrence Patrick Broderick, Jr., “Patrick,” and finally earning his master’s degree in microbiology from San Francisco State University in 1971. He found work at Gerber Products in Oakland, the baby food company, where he spent his entire career, starting in quality control and eventually becoming plant manager.
In 1971, Terry moved his family to a new home in the developing suburb of Pleasanton, California. There, he fell hard for soccer: playing along with Sue, coaching both of his kids’ teams for many years, refereeing at the high school and college level, and eventually organizing and training referees throughout Northern California — work he loved. He was very involved in the Catholic Community of Pleasanton and was particularly proud to serve on the Social Justice Committee, working to bring more affordable housing to Pleasanton. As empty nesters, Terry and Sue outgrew the mutts of their children’s childhoods and became devotees of Cairn Terriers, joining the Cairn Terrier Club of Northern California where Terry once again took on a leadership role. Later in life, he grew interested in photography, spending his stashed referee earnings on enormous fancy lenses, which he loved to aim at family members. He was especially proud of his award-winning photo of a hummingbird, captured mid-flight.
Always flaunting his Irish heritage, Terry nevertheless loved good English cheese, good English football — Come on, Fulham! — and good English programming on PBS, everything from Poldark to Monty Python’s Flying Circus, which he watched with his children to insure they inherited his pun-filled, slightly warped sense of humor. An early fan of craft beer, Terry briefly tried brewing his own and was enormously proud of his son Patrick’s career as a brewer, and his recent taproom opening. In his last weeks, when Pat asked what style of beer he’d like brewed in his honor, Terry requested a particular stout — Dad’s Milk Stout is now on tap at Tall Guy Brewing in Fort Bragg, California.
Terry was known to all for his height, his grin, his stubbornness, his positive attitude — he saw the best in every person, every situation — and his desire to serve others. He was preceded in death by his mother, Marguerite Vizzier Broderick Bieger, whom he cared for into her final days. Terry is mourned by his devoted wife, Susan; his daughter, Patricia Zaballos, husband Chris, and their children, Henry, Lily, and Theodore; his son, Terrence Patrick Broderick, Jr., wife Lisa, and their children, Gwendolyn, Olivia, and Gretchen; siblings James Broderick, Dennis Broderick, and Kathleen Rego; and several nieces and nephews and many, many friends.