Meet Curt

On January 11, 2025, we said goodbye to a beloved member of our family—our son, brother, husband, father, uncle, cousin, and nephew who touched so many lives with his kindness and love. His memory lives on in our hearts and inspires us every day. To honor his life and legacy, we’ve created a dedicated memorial page, linked below.

Curt Brashear, a seasoned landscape photographer out of the Napa Valley, has spent over four decades honing his craft and pursuing his passion for capturing the beauty of nature in all of its seasons.

A fourth generation Napa native, his passion for photography began in the valley known for its diverse landscapes, rich colors, and vibrant wildflowers. As a young adult, he studied photography at the Napa Valley Junior College, developing a skillset in shot-framing, capturing light, and an understanding that the greatest skill of a photographer is the ability to find beauty in the most ordinary of places.

After college, Curt began a successful 36 year career in management at Safeway, a job from which he recently retired. This is also where he met his wife of 30+ years, Kathy. The two welcomed daughters, Sarah and Rachel, and fatherhood now took Curt’s photography to sports arenas, school dances, family vacations, and his daughters’ new college towns.

Left with an empty nest, Curt was able to focus more time on the photos he enjoys the most – landscapes. After a diagnosis of pancreatic cancer in 2022, Curt came to a new understanding that life should be filled with the people and places you enjoy the most. Armed with a new camera, he took to rolling hills, coastal highways, and quiet forests where he has been able to use his gift of photography to depict moments in time, telling the story of the places he has visited and the land he calls home.