IRVING BRAGER

Irving B. Brager, an electronic engineer and long-time resident of Southampton PA, passed away April 7 at the age of 95. Irving grew up in Philadelphia and attended the University of Pennsylvania, earning a BS in Electrical Engineering. (In 1966, he earned a Master in Business Administration at Temple University.) In 1949, Irving and his wife, Estelle, settled in Bryn Gweled, an intentional community nestled on 240 acres of former farmland in Southampton. Together, they designed and built their own home. They lived in Bryn Gweled for 65 years, raising four children.
Irving worked for Waterman Products, a producer of electronic test equipment, for 10 years. He then joined American Electronic Laboratories as Production Manager and rose to be Vice President of Manufacturing. He also worked for General Atronics as a manufacturing manager. When the Philadelphia plant that he managed closed and the company offered him a job elsewhere, he decided to stay put. Irving created his own company with his wife, restoring old buildings in upper Bucks County, some of which achieved historic status with the county's Heritage Conservancy.
Irving's construction experience and his engineering background enabled him to design the remodeling of the old Bryn Gweled community center and supervise the building of a more spacious center. He also helped write the BG Handbook, served as the community's president twice and was a member of its board four times. He was instrumental in the installation of the community's pond and supervised the installation of 4- Posters (a deer cleaning apparatus) to help eliminate deer ticks and Lyme Disease. Irv was also a volunteer for the Southampton Free Library from 2000 to 2007. He designed the installation of an emergency power generator, general lighting of the first floor and basement as well as the installation of the library's restrooms in compliance with federal ADA and PA state handicap specifications. Irving was an avid sailor and loved being out on a lake or ocean sailing with his family.
He is survived by his four children, Linda Bresler, Alison Bass, Paul Brager and Stuart Brager; and eleven grandchildren. Funeral services will be held at the Goldstein Funeral Home in Southampton at 11:15 am on April 12 followed by a private burial.