Michael Wayne Brossette died March 10, 1997, due to complications from AIDS. He was 41. He was a co-owner of two Rehoboth Beach restaurants, Celsius and Cloud 9, and Mercury Grill, a Washington, D.C. restaurant.
Brossette is survived by his partner, Aaron Flamm of Rehoboth and Washington, D.C.; mother, Frances Sells and step-father, Ted Sells, of Virginia Beach, Va.; father Frank Brossette, of Aurora, Co.; brother, William Brossette, sister, Patricia Mitchum; grandmother, Alice Twiford, and two nephews, Aaron and Travis, all of whom live in Virginia Beach, and by three dogs, Bailey, Alex and Fred.
Brossette, a graduate of Old Dominion University, received a Masters in Healthcare Administration from George Washington University. Professionally, Brossette enjoyed a dynamic career in healthcare administration, later followed by an entrepreneurial adventure in restaurant ownership.
Brossette began his career as a healthcare executive at the Greater Baltimore Medical Center in Maryland. After Baltimore, he served as Assistant Vice President at Cooper Hospital-University Medical Center in Camden, N.J. He then went to the Philadelphia area's Metropolitan Healthcare Systems, where he eventually became Executive Director of the three hospital system. He concluded his healthcare experience as the Chief Operating Officer at Bon Secours Hospital, Baltimore. While at Bon Secours Hospital, he was very proud of his involvement in facilitating the design and construction of the new Ambulatory Services' addition.
In 1992, Brossette left healthcare administration to pursue other interests, and in spring 1994, he and his partner, Aaron Flamm, opened the first of their two Rehoboth Beach restaurants, Celsius, followed by the opening of Cloud 9 in the fall of 1994, in partnership with Flamm, Paige and John Berdini, and Kelley Harp. In June 1996, Brossette, Flamm and the Berdinis, along with Ashley Wiggins, opened Mercury Grill in Washington, D.C.
Brossette felt a tremendous responsibility to the community and was a vital member of numerous organizations, the most notable involvement of which were: President of the Delaware HIV Consortium, Board member of CAMP Rehoboth, Co-Chair of the Silent Auction for the Human Rights Campaign, Board member of Building Futures: Family AIDS Housing, and President of the Baltimore Medical System.
"Brossette's warmth, compassion and loyalty to his friends was remarkable," according to his friend Melissa Wendland. "For all his love and caring, he will be sorely missed."
A memorial service for Brossette was held Saturday, March 22, 1997, at the Epworth United Methodist Church, Rehoboth Beach. The Reverend Albert Scariato officiated.
Contributions may be made to the Michael W. Brossette Memorial Fund, in care of the Delaware HIV Consortium, P.O. Box 239, Montchanin, DE, 19710.
For information on the Michael Brossette Fund, call the HIV Consortium at (302) 654-5471.
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3/28/97 Issue. Copyright 1997 by CAMP Rehoboth, Inc. All rights reserved.