Read Frank Lavelle Braneff's Obituary & Leave Condolences

In memory of

Frank Lavelle Braneff

Huntington Beach, CA, USA

May 27, 1931 - December 26, 2020

May 27, 1931 - Dec 26, 2020

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With broken hearts we share the passing of our beloved father, Frank Braneff, 89, on December 26 in Huntington Beach, CA. Heaven gaining another angel is an overwhelming loss to all those he left behind. He was more than just a father, grandfather, twin brother and nice guy. He was an incredibly intelligent man who would be there for anyone at anytime. He was generous with his words, his actions, his money and most of all his love.

Not only was he a veteran of the Korean War, but in this crazy world, he was a Covid-19 survivor, until his weakened heart gave way.

Frank and his identical twin brother, Fred, were adopted as infants by Eunice and Frank Braneff in DeQuincy, Louisiana. At age 16, both boys enlisted in the Army and served in the Korean War as proud patriots and decorated soldiers. In 1950, Frank met Georgia Panagiotareas, while stationed in Shirley, MA. In 1951, they married before he was deployed overseas. It was a great union that brought three daughters into the world.

Dad was a salesman in every regard and was really good at it. He could sell snow to an Eskimo. The thing he loved most, though, was his family. He worked hard and made sure they wanted for nothing. Dad, however, lived to love and loved being the caretaker for his family. From the time he returned from the war, he loved and cared for his mother-in-law (YaYa), who lived with us until the day she died. Sadly, though, the love of his life, Georgia (Jo as he called her) passed away after a valiant battle with cancer just short of their 27th anniversary, and just three weeks after YaYa's passing. Now there was a huge hole in his heart.

After a period of time and on a blind date set up by his daughters, Frank was blessed with another woman to love, Patricia Walsh. Dad and Pat along with Bonnie and Jerri moved to California, where dad and Pat spent the remainder of their lives. After almost 35 years of marriage, Dad lost another love when Pat passed away on March 26, 2016.

Dad was a firm believer in eat, drink and be merry. He loved to cook, garden, enjoyed a good scotch and always welcomed friends and family (even all the friends of his daughters) into his home. He was an avid sports fan...the Knicks in basketball and the Giants in football...even when he moved to California. So, of course, he had three daughters that were cheerleaders!! As he got older and not able to get around as much as he liked, he became a pro at dominoes, and the last couple of years shared marathon games with Bonnie and Mike in their home. When Stu and I went out to visit, Stu didn't always make the best of moves during the game, and I'll never forget dad looking Stu straight in the eye and saying "what did you do with the scholarship money"? We all got into a fit of laughter.

Bonnie and Mike were dad's guardian angels. When dad went to Seacliff in Huntington Beach, Bonnie would go everyday to make sure he was being well taken care of. She watched over him and made sure he had whatever he wanted...food, personal things...anything. She made sure he got to the VA for his appointments and followed up on every detail of his life. Without Bonnie and Mike, we would have been denied the extra years we had with dad. Jerri and I will be forever grateful to Bonnie and Mike for being there when dad needed family most.

Dear Dad, from your daughters...
"Where you used to be, there is a hole in the world, which I find myself constantly walking around in the daytime, and falling in at night. I miss you like hell."
Edna St. Vincent Millay

Sadly, dad's brother Fred, passed away on January 24, 2021, just short of a month since dad's passing. They are together again.

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