Born March 12, 1889 in Kiev Russia, Isidor Steve Brody came to the United States in 1906 at the age of 17. He became a U.S. citizen in 1912. In 1916, Brody enlisted in the army as a medic and fought with the American Expeditionary Force in France. He came to Roanoke in 1935, serving first at the Veterans Affairs Hospital in Salem, VA, then at the Veterans Affairs Regional office from 1946 until his retirement in December 1958. An active member of the community, Brody helped establish a unit of the United Service Organization and the first War Mothers Chapter in the Roanoke Valley. He was an active member in the American Legion, Veterans of Foreign Wars, and Disabled American Veterans ad received numerous awards and honors for his patriotism.

Roanoke World-News editor M. Carl Andrews said of Brody, "It requires a person born in a country without basic human rights to fully understand and demonstrate his love for our America...[n]o other person in Roanoke ever did so much to honor that [American] flag in his lifetime." He unselfishly made financial contributions to many civic organizations, most notably the Boy Scouts of America. Brody is best known for donating and placing a United States flag in almost every building in the City of Roanoke. (The last flag that he donated was at the dedication of the Roanoke Civic Center in 1971. The Steve Brody Room in the Main Library of the Roanoke Public Libraries was named in his honor in 1983. Remembered as Roanoke's Russian-born patriot, Brody died on November 20, 1978.