In memory of Florence Henderson, who passed away peacefully this Thanksgiving (2016) surrounded by family, I spent much of this evening thinking back to the enjoyment and comfort that classic show, The Brady Bunch, gave me. As Gen-Xers, my friends and I ritually returned home from school every day to turn on the TV and watch re-runs of the Brady Bunch. I cannot remember a bit of Spanish I was taught growing up, but pretty much every Brady scene is emblazoned into my brain with great clarity: from Peter rescuing the little girl at Drexel’s Toys from a collapsing shelf, to Marcia taking a football in the nose after breaking her date with poor Charlie, to the lovely Carol Brady (Florence Henderson) who led the entire family in singing “Clementine” in the station wagon as the family made their marathon trip to the Grand Canyon. The Brady Bunch truly brought both entertainment and comfort to me and many other children of the ‘70s.
So what drives the co-founder of InHomeSafetyGuide.org to blog about Mrs. Brady at 1:30 A.M. the day after the passing of Florence Henderson, the woman I heard her to be in real life?
Medical Guardian, a provider of some of our highest-rated medical alert systems was fortunate enough to have Florence Henderson as their official spokesperson and senior safety advocate. A few months ago in San Francisco, I had lunch with Geoff Gross, CEO and founder of Medical Guardian, and asked him how their partnership with Ms. Henderson came to be.
To my pleasure and little surprise, Geoff told me of the Florence Henderson of today. A smart, lovely woman, who was delighted to have the opportunity to raise awareness about Medical Guardian’s alert systems, because she knew the value that these devices provide to seniors, as well as the peace of mind they bring to loved ones. Geoff had nothing but wonderful things to say about Ms. Henderson.
Thank you, Mrs. Brady, for giving me a second mom to come home to each day in my youth, and thank you, Florence Henderson, for being selfless and being happy to get the word out about these life changing devices.
May you rest in peace.