
John M. Brickhouse, Sr. of Virginia Beach, VA passed away peacefully in his home on February 19, 2024. John was 93 years old.
On September 30, 1930 John Milton Brickhouse, or “Mitt” as he was known, was born to Johnny Brickhouse, the Sheriff of Norfolk County, and his wife Lucille (Gray). Mitt had three older sisters: Virginia, Lois, and Rainey Pearl. Their mother, Lucille, along with her domestic help, Ms. Lillian, raised them all in the Portlock section of Norfolk, VA. Later, Lucille married Thomas Glenn, who brought Mitt and his mother ‘uptown’ to a house off of Granby Street in the Belvedere section of Norfolk.
As a teenager, Mitt basically danced his way through the WWII years, graduating from Granby High School in 1948. He went to work as an electrician’s apprentice, climbing poles, expanding and repairing power lines throughout Norfolk. When the Korean War broke out, he became a staff sergeant and electrician in the US Marine Corps. Under the GI Bill, Mitt attended the Norfolk annex of William and Mary College (later to become Old Dominion University). Upon graduation in the mid 1950s, Mitt embarked on his career as a Corporate Sales Executive specializing in military sales. He worked with military exchanges and commissaries worldwide.
It was around this time that Mitt met the love of his life, Mary Louise Day, also from Norfolk. They married and moved to Frankfurt, Germany, where his son, Duke was born. Two years later they moved back to Virginia where their daughter, Donna, was born.
After job stints in Washington DC, New York City, and Dallas, TX, the Brickhouse family settled in Virginia Beach in the 1970s. Mitt created and presided over two very successful military sales companies in the 70’s and 80’s and he enjoyed expanding his businesses while traveling all over the world.
He and Mary Lou developed close, lasting friendships with Bill and Ann Ambrose and Hannelore and Ken Standley in the 1950’s, and Bill and Millie Runkle in the 1960’s. Mitt’s work pals, Bruce Steinberg, Wade Carruth, and Paul Bernier, were the ‘Dino’s’ to Mitt’s ‘Frank’ in their own Rat Pack.
Mitt was proud of his family heritage dating back to the mid-17th century in Eastern North Carolina and Southeastern Virginia. He was fond of participating in family reunions and sharing genealogical information.
Mitt loved being a dad and having family get-togethers where he could get everyone to laugh at the same jokes over and over again. He was always ready to take Mary Lou out for dinner and dancing, take his son to the little league games, or teach his daughter how to play ‘Ave Maria’ on her electric organ.
Dancing was one of Mitt’s favorite things to do, and he was good at it. Some of his favorite performers were Frank Sinatra, Johnny Mathis, Nat King Cole, The Glenn Miller Orchestra, Pavarotti, and Julio Iglesias, with a little bit of The Beatles, Harry Nilsson and Johnny Rivers thrown in for good measure.
Most of all, Mitt was forever grateful to have spent 62 wonderful years with his beloved Mary Lou. Together they laughed a lot and lived a rich, full life. He tirelessly took care of her in her later years when she became sick. He held her hand when she passed away in 2019.
Mitt leaves behind his son, Duke Brickhouse; his daughter, Donna Lynn (Brickhouse); his son-in-law Austen Lynn; and his granddaughter Katie Lou Lynn, whom he loved to the moon and back and was immensely proud of.
Mitt’s family would like to extend their deepest gratitude for the outpouring of condolences. They have decided not to have a formal service but instead a small gathering of friends and family at a later date.