Frank Bramble, 75, put his business skills to charitable use throughout archdiocese

Francis “Frank” Paul Bramble Sr., a devoted father of six who was deeply involved in furthering Catholic education in the Archdiocese of Baltimore, died Sept. 23 of a heart attack. The longtime financial services executive was 75. 

The Baltimore native and Calvert Hall College High School graduate was known throughout the region for his philanthropy and putting his banking acumen to work for numerous schools and charities. 

Bramble served as chairman of the archdiocese’s Blue Ribbon Committee on Education that developed a strategic plan for the future of Catholic education in 2010. He also chaired an archdiocesan-wide capital campaign that raised more than $103 million, primarily in support of Catholic schools. 

Monsignor Robert Hartnett, who served on the education committee with Bramble, used the words “authentic” and “humble” to describe him.

“He was very passionate about Catholic schools,” Monsignor Hartnett said. “As accomplished as he was in business, he was very approachable and humble about his own contributions to the process. He was never seeking any kind of acknowledgement or praise for his work. He was a very busy man but he made time for all of us.”

Bramble, a Ruxton resident at the time of his death, was intent on making sure as many families as possible, especially in impoverished areas, had access to Catholic education, according to Monsignor Hartnett.

“It wasn’t just a business decision for him,” said Monsignor Hartnett, who retired as pastor of Our Lady of Mount Carmel in Essex in July after 44 years of ministry. 

Archbishop William E. Lori said Bramble’s dedication to his faith and to Catholic education was “unwavering.” 

“He was known for always going the extra mile to ensure Catholic education in Baltimore remained foundational and vibrant,” the archbishop said. “I often reached out to Frank for his wise advice and depended greatly on his earnest counsel. His friendship will be missed. His wife, Maggie, and his family will remain in my prayers.”

James B. Sellinger, who retired as the archdiocese’s chancellor of education in 2022, said Bramble’s service was a blessing.

“I have been blessed to know Frank for more than 30 years, and valued his friendship and partnership in our personal and business lives,” Sellinger said. “Frank was a role model and strong supporter of Catholic education and was instrumental in my becoming the chancellor of education for the archdiocese. Together we charted a path to sustain and grow our Catholic schools and I am forever grateful for his sage advice and selfless support. Frank was the consummate professional and friend who I will sorely miss and will never forget.”

Bramble’s daughter, Jamie Bramble Schell, said her father’s upbringing and Catholic education, which started in his parish school at St. Ambrose in Park Heights, had a huge influence on his life.

“His Catholic upbringing gave him a foundation for his sense of justice and what’s right,” she said. “His Catholic faith showed through in his Christian works. He knew what it was like to be looked down upon and never forgot to make the least person in the room feel like the most important.”

Bramble served on numerous governing boards, including as vice chairman of the Archdiocesan School Board. He served on the boards of Catholic Charities, Calvert Hall, Maryvale Preparatory School and Loyola University Maryland. In business, he served on the board of Bank of America as well as the boards of Constellation Energy and the University of Maryland Medical School. 

The parishioner of St. Pius X in Rodgers Forge was particularly devoted to his alma mater, serving as Calvert Hall’s interim president in 2013. He served as the Towson school’s chairman of the Board of Trustees from July 2014 to June 2016 and also served terms on that board from 1993 to 1995 and 2000-06. The 1966 graduate was inducted into the Calvert Hall Alumni Hall of Fame in 1993.

According to a biography composed by Bramble Schell, Frank Bramble came from humble stock, born and raised in the Pimlico neighborhood of Baltimore by his father, William, a Crown Cork and Seal employee, and his mother, Mary, a homemaker.

“Frank’s story is one of grit, self-reliance, confidence and a few lucky breaks, the likes of which are the stuff of bootstrapping legend,” his daughter wrote. “His financial, philanthropic and civic legacy reverberates not just across the city he loved, but on a worldwide scale. His family legacy holds even stronger. “

He and his wife of 42 years, Margaret (Maggie), made attending weekly Mass a priority and during the pandemic enjoyed watching livestreamed Mass from Ireland.

His daughter said her father started his professional career as a coin box collector and tended bar on the weekends to make ends meet before landing a job as an audit clerk at First National Bank of Maryland. He moved on to Maryland National Bank in 1968 “with only a few night school college credits under his belt.”

He worked in banking for more than 20 years, heading First National Bank (later Allfirst) in 1993, where he remained until 2002. He served as an executive officer at MBNA, one of the largest credit card issuers in the country, 2002-05, and joined the board of Bank of America in 2006, where he remained until his death.  He also operated his own consulting firm.

Some of his work highlights included helping to secure financing for the development of Camden Yards and bringing the Baltimore Ravens to town. He also worked behind the scenes to push for the renovation of the Hippodrome Theater and was a valued supporter of the B&O Railroad Museum and Johns Hopkins Hospital.

At Calvert Hall, Bramble served as the chairman for the “Calvert Hall Forever” Capital Campaign. He and his wife donated funds for the Bramble Academic Center. He also served as a tri-chair for the “Hall 175” Capital Campaign that is still in progress. In 2001, he and Maggie established the William A. Bramble Sr. Scholarship named in memory of Frank’s father. The scholarship recognizes the sacrifices his father made to send Frank and his brother to Calvert Hall. The endowment created by this gift provides tuition assistance to deserving students each year. 

“We are deeply saddened with the loss of Frank,” said Christian Brother John Kane, Calvert Hall president, in a statement issued by the school. “Very few individuals have impacted Calvert Hall, as well as the Baltimore region, as Frank. … Frank has led a successful life not because of what he did, but because of his leadership. He led with a quiet strength that was built on faith, character and class. He cared deeply and valued people for who they were.”

His daughter said attending Calvert Hall played a pivotal role in her father’s life, so he thought it was important to assist families that wanted that education for their young men.

Bramble also was a Knight of St. Gregory and an emeritus member of the Board of Visitors of Towson University, where he held an honorary doctorate degree. 

His biggest devotion, however, was to his family.

“He was the kind of dad who would hop a flight to make it to your school field trip the next morning, who would glide into a big-band father-daughter dance at your wedding in spite of a crippling case of shingles, who would drive to your house in the middle of the work day to make sure your hair straightener was turned off, who would send flowers to school, call random days off for a Bramble holiday, and who never missed a game, a play or recital,” wrote Bramble Schell. “He even emerged from a 2005 helicopter crash in the East River unscathed, just in time for Father’s Day.”

Bramble was an avid golfer and fan of the Orioles who frequently vacationed with his wife and dogs, Declan and Fergus, at Fenwick Island, Del.

“He just could do anything, and made it all seem so effortless,” Bramble Schell said on behalf of her siblings. “When you needed advice, you could go to him with anything and he’d have the answer. He was a hero to all of us.”

In addition to Maggie, Bramble is survived by siblings William, Dorothy Baumeister and Patrick; children Frank Jr. (Barbara), Pamela Kozlowski (Joseph), Jaime Schell (Andrew), Ryan (Holly), Gregory (Maya), and Lindsay; as well as grandchildren Samantha and A.J. Kozlowski, twins Paul and Marea Schell, and Francis, Peter and Mary Bramble. 

A celebration of life will be held later this year, Bramble Schell said.

In lieu of flowers, the family suggests donations be made to the William A. Bramble Sr. Scholarship Fund at Calvert Hall College High School. 

Email Gerry Jackson at gjackson@CatholicReview.org

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