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Thomas A. Bruder Jr., longtime co-owner and president of M.A.B. Paints, dies at 85

He was involved in business, sports, and education, and Neumann University named several facilities in his honor.

Mr. Bruder had an open-door policy as president of M.A.B. Paints and considered his staff like family, his family said.
Mr. Bruder had an open-door policy as president of M.A.B. Paints and considered his staff like family, his family said.Read moreMICHAEL MALLY / INQ MALLY

Thomas A. Bruder Jr., 85, of Newtown Square, the grandson of the founder of M.A.B. Paints, who expanded the company during his own 40 years as co-owner and president, and a philanthropist, died Monday, Jan. 24, of pneumonia at Bryn Mawr Hospital.

Mr. Bruder became president of Broomall-based M.A.B. Paints in 1967, and he and his brothers, Mike and Jim, owned and managed the company for four decades. They expanded from 18 regional stores to 138 in 14 states and from one manufacturing plant to three before selling the company to Sherwin-Williams Co., in 2007.

Beginning in 1971, Mr. Burder served on the Neumann University board of trustees, was a member of its development and trustee committees, and was appointed a lifetime trustee in 2008. He was a generous donor to the school, and its Thomas A. Bruder Jr. Life Center, which houses the Bruder Gymnasium, opened in 1985, and the Bruder Athletic Fields were named in his honor in 2012.

“His leadership and support over the years for Neumann cannot be underestimated,” Chris Domes, president of Neumann, said in a statement. “Tom was a humble and generous person who will be deeply missed.”

Mr. Bruder’s grandfather, Michael A. Bruder, founded M. A. Bruder & Sons, Inc. with a single store in South Philadelphia in 1899. Mr. Bruder’s father, Thomas A. Bruder Sr., took over in 1932, and Mr. Bruder became president at 31 after his father died.

Born July 18, 1936, in Philadelphia, Mr. Bruder was the oldest of six children. He graduated from Malvern Prep in 1954, the University of Notre Dame in 1958, and joined the Army National Guard after college.

He knew Kate Ryan from their childhood days as friends, and they married in 1960. They lived in Drexel Hill; Springfield, Delaware County; Villanova; and Newtown Square, and had sons Thomas A. III, John, Tim, Chris, and Jim, and daughter Mary Kate.

Mr. Bruder ran track and played football in high school, and later closely followed the Notre Dame football team, the Villanova basketball team, and the Phillies. Golf and lacrosse became his passions as an adult.

He was a 5-handicap on the golf course, a 60-year member at the Aronomink Golf Club in Newtown Square, and M.A.B. Paints sponsored several local golf tournaments and outings. Inspired by his sons, who played high school lacrosse, he funded the powerhouse M.A.B. Paints Lacrosse Club team for 20 years in the 1980s, ‘90s, and 2000s, and received the 2008 Founder’s Award from the Philadelphia Lacrosse Association.

Mr. Bruder was a listener and a problem solver, his family said, and he attended closely to the company and its civic role. In 1996, when the Philadelphia City Council was considering a ban on spray-paint cans due to graffiti, Mr. Bruder volunteered to withdraw them from his 13 Philadelphia stores despite likely losing $75,000 in sales.

“It’s always a lot better if people voluntarily do this instead of passing laws to make people do things,” Mr. Bruder said then. He also oversaw a move by the company to more environmentally friendly products.

“M.A.B. was a company where employees were treated like family,” Mr. Bruder’s family said in a tribute. “It was a place where you started a job but wound up developing your career.”

The company motto was “On time as promised or we pay,” and, using the M.A.B. initials, the Bruders created the “Make America Beautiful” advertising campaign in the 1970s.

As well as Neumann and other organizations, Mr. Bruder supported Fitzgerald Mercy and Riddle Hospitals, Main Line Health, Malvern Prep, the Maxwell Football Club, Notre Dame, and Villanova. He liked to play golf at his home in Florida, offer putting tips to friends, and was an avid reader of mysteries.

“He embraced giving to people,” said his son Tom. “He eyes sparkled, and his face lit up when he talked about it. He always said it was better to give than to receive.”

A friend wrote in an online tribute: “His presence made a positive difference everywhere he was.”

In addition to his wife and children, Mr. Bruder is survived by 21 grandchildren, one great-grandchild, three sisters, and other relatives. His brothers died earlier.

Services were Jan. 28.

Donations in his name may be made to Tunnel to Towers Foundation, 2361 Hylan Blvd., Staten Island, N.Y. 10306.