Obituary of Leslie Stuart Brodie

Les died August 13, 2013 at home in Salem, Oregon, at age 54. He was born February 26, 1959, in Boston, Massachusetts, to Arnold F. and June W. Brodie. Les grew up in Pasadena, California, and graduated from John Muir High School in 1977. He received his bachelor’s degree in philosophy and religion from the University of Southern California and his master’s of public administration from California State University, Los Angeles. At age 19, he met the love of his life, Nelsa, to whom he was married for 32 years. Les was dedicated to government public service and received numerous commendation awards for public sector financial and administrative leadership. He began his career with the United States General Accounting Office (GAO) for which he served in both Los Angeles and in Seattle. While with the GAO he received a commendation award from Congress for saving taxpayers over $200 million dollars. He also served in various capacities in Washington state and local government, including as a deputy county auditor for Thurston County, deputy director for the Washington State Investment Board, and a division commander for the Washington State Patrol. In 2007 he became the Chief Financial Officer for the Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT), which he called his dream job. To honor Les’ commitment to health and fitness, ODOT recently named the activity-fitness room in their headquarters building in Salem the Les Brodie Activity Room. Les was a loving father of Joshua (26) and Sarah (24). He loved cheering on his USC Trojans, spending time at the family getaway in Ocean Shores, Washington, and doing daily weight and aerobic workouts. He and Nelsa enjoyed wine tasting, spending time together and travelling. Les was a man of high integrity, physical and mental strength, a great mentor to many and an inspiration to all with whom he came in contact. A man of strong character, his favorite saying was “Your words and actions must match.” Les was an active community volunteer, from coaching youth sports, to serving on boards for Thurston County Crimestoppers, Temple Beth Hatfiloh (Olympia) and Temple Beth Sholom (Salem). In addition to his wife Nelsa and two children, Joshua (Bellevue, Washington) and Sarah (Boise, Idaho) and son-in-law Zach (Boise, Idaho), Les is survived by his brother, Todd Brodie (Naples, Florida); his mother, June Brodie (Pasadena, California); three nieces; a nephew; numerous cousins; and many, many friends. Please leave memories of Les or condolences for his family in the Guestbook below.