Renaissance man Bradford Saivetz put family first

He was both a World War II veteran and the founder of a successful Boston-area civil engineering company, but neither feat was Bradford Saivetz’s proudest accomplishment.

“He was in the hospital for the last week of his life, and he was able to talk and was very lucid,” said Ruthellen Rubin, Saivetz’s daughter. “One of the nurses came in and asked him what he did in life, and without hesitation, with all he accomplished, he said, ‘I raised a family.’ That’s his greatest accomplishment, and that’s a saying we all hold. What we learned from him is how to be a father.”

Saivetz, 93, of Sarasota and formerly of Longboat Key, died July 12.

Born in Everett, Mass., he lived in Quincy, Mass. for 50 years.

“When he was a little kid, he read the dictionary,” his wife, Temi Steir Saivetz, said. “He was just a very bright, intellectual man. He was a renaissance man.”

During World War II, he flew 35 successful missions as a radioman and gunner in a B-17 bomber with the Mighty 8th Air Force. He was awarded the Air Medal with three Oak Leaf Clusters, three Bronze Stars and the Distinguished Flying Cross. In 2014, the French president honored him as a Chevalier of the Legion of Honor for his service to France.

“He really came home a hero, and that stayed with him his whole life,” Rubin said. “His patriotism was important to him. He really considered it a privilege to be an American.”

He returned from the war in 1944 and married Temi Saivetz soon after. In 1948, he founded Bradford Saivetz and Associates Inc., a civil engineering firm, in Braintree, Mass., that still exists today as Highpoint Engineering Inc.

In 1978, he and his wife took their first trip to Longboat Key and fell in love with the island. They were full-time residents for 25 years until last year, when they moved to Sarasota Bay Club.

An avid Republican, Saivetz enjoyed politics and was a member of Temple Beth Israel and the Resort at Longboat Key Club, where he played tennis and golf. He also served on the town's Planning and Zoning Board.

“He considered Longboat a rich man’s paradise, whether the houses were $25,000, $525,000 and now $5 million,” Temi Saivetz said. “He really, really loved Longboat Key.”

Saivetz was preceded in death by his son, Richard. He is survived by his wife of 70 years, Temi; daughter, Ruthellen Rubin, and her husband, Marc, of New York; five grandchildren; and eight great-grandchildren.

A private graveside service with military honors was held.

Contributions can be made to Tidewell Hospice, Philanthropy Department, 5955 Rand Blvd., Sarasota, FL 34238.