William J. Brehm Sr.

By Sun Advocate

POWAY, CA – William J. Brehm Sr., (89), passed away on October 4 after a long battle with cancer at his home in Poway, CA. He is survived by his wife of 67 years, Mona, and children Tina McDonald (Poway, CA), Bill Brehm Jr. (Poway, CA), Barbara Schuyler (Fallbrook, CA), Cindy Melland (Yucca Valley, CA), nine grandchildren and eleven great-grandchildren. He is also survived by his brothers Loyd Brehm and Del Miller and sister Dianne Howard.
Brehm was born in Lincoln, NE, on November 1, 1925, son of William and Lola Brehm. In World War II he served in the Navy Air Corps and was attending universities in Missouri, North Dakota and California. At war’s end he was planning to attend the University of Southern California to earn an engineering degree. However, he took a detour and went to work as a “printer’s devil” at the Bell-Maywood Industrial Post in Los Angeles in 1946. This is when his passion for newspapers began. By 1950, he became a publisher in the company, McGiffin Newspaper Company, taking on a corporate role. In 1960, he became president of the company, which had been owned by his father-in-law, Bill McGiffin, who had died in 1955. (The company was renamed Brehm Communications, Inc. in 1981.)
In 1962, Brehm and his wife began buying newspapers, starting with the weekly Los Banos (CA) Enterprise and the Auburn (CA) Journal in 1965, adding to the 17 weekly and 2 daily suburban newspapers and printing company in the Los Angeles area, as well as the Fort Madison (Iowa) Daily Democrat, where the company began. After selling the LA area newspapers, he bought and sold many additional newspapers, with the company now in seven states with over 50 publications, 40 websites, and five printing facilities. At the height of the company, which was founded in 1919, more than 700 employees worked for BCI. The BCI corporate office is located in Rancho Bernardo.
Brehm remained active in the company the rest of his life, with the help of his wife and three of his children: Bill Brehm Jr., who serves as president of BCI; Cindy Melland, who is publisher at Hi-Desert Publishing in Yucca Valley; and Barbara Schuyler, who oversees the real estate division of the company.
Brehm believed local newspapers were the heart and soul of a community, and over his nearly 70 years in the business his company was involved in ownership of more than 100 publications. Bill Sr., as he was known by his friends, was well respected for his passion for newspapers, fishing, golf, gardening and family.
His passion for fishing took him from California to Canada and remote places in Alaska. He would take family, friends, and employees on these trips, always in search of the biggest fish.
In his non-work hours, Bill loved to work with youth, coaching numerous years of Little League and youth basketball.
Brehm believed strongly that the foundation of a community newspaper was strong local news and commitment to the community, which was the driving force behind his success. This commitment inspired Brehm and his wife to become major donors to help build and dedicate a family park with soccer fields, baseball fields, a special needs ballpark, and facilities. Brehm Park Family Recreation Center was gifted to the Town of Yucca Valley this year. Most recently, he achieved a lifetime goal of developing and owning a golf course, Hawks Landing in Yucca Valley, which opened in March 2015.
Over the years, Brehm was honored with numerous industry awards, including being recognized by his national peers in the Suburban Newspaper Association in 2011 with the Dean S. Lesher Lifetime Achievement Award.
Bill Brehm Jr., President of Brehm Communications, said “BCI is over 95 years young and now, as the third and fourth generations are in the business, and as my father and mother removed themselves from the day-to-day operations over the past several years, but were still active. BCI has continued to stress the importance of good community journalism and the support of local businesses, the cornerstone of each community we serve.
“With the support of my family members and all employees of BCI, this dedication will continue into the future as part of the legacy of my father, who headed the company for the past 60 years. I know my father is proud of the many employees who have worked for, and dedicated their lives to, the service of their communities through their community newspaper,” Bill Brehm Jr. concluded.
Rather than a memorial service, a celebration of life will be scheduled for a later date.
In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be made to
Miracle League of the Desert
56711 29 Palms Highway
Yucca Valley, CA 92284, or
Shakti Rising
2404 F Street
San Diego, CA 92102
The Miracle League of the Desert is designed to allow children and adults with special needs to move safely from base to base on an all-abilities baseball field in the Brehm Family Park in Yucca Valley.
Bill and Mona Brehm helped fund the startup of Shakti Rising, which was founded by Bill Sr.’s granddaughter, Shannon Thompson. It is a social change organization transforming the lives of young women.