One of my favorite photos of Dad - climbing down from the top of Mt. Bierstadt. This was his last 14er and our last mountain together. I'm glad we got one last one under our belts <3

It was such a joy to know Karl in a variety of ways- not only through his superb "sermons" at UUCC, but also as a singer in my choir, a friend, and a really talented composer. It was a pleasure and honor to be his composition mentor; in our work together he exhibited the same high intelligence, sensitivity, humility, warmth and wit that were typical of his whole life.

Brantings and Stivers' Wonderful trip to Italy together

Karl and Susan Sharing the Vallecito Creek Trail with Claire and I — with Karl Branting, Susan Branting, Claire Moyer and Tyler Chlapek

Karl and I were friends for nearly 60 years. I was his sidekick in junior high, when we terrified ourselves making bombs. I’ll never forget helping him distill elemental bromine in his parents’ garage (dark red viscous oily drops that quickly evaporated into swirls of toxic reddish mist). In the eighth grade we founded our school’s chess club. He soon played six games simultaneously, winning them all and then the next week played and won two simultaneous games blindfolded.

Over the decades we shared music, backpacking, skiing and high caliber yammering. Karl’s world was so very rich; he had more talents than most people have ideas. He lived well a dense and rewarding life. Yes, he was brilliant, but more importantly he was a truly nice guy. Karl loved and was loved. His face glowed with pleasure and pride when he spoke of Susan, Eric, and Lipica. Karl made my life - indeed, the world - better. We are fortunate to have known him.

I loved him and will ever miss him.

Karl was a colleague with whom I unfortunately only had the chance to work with tangentially and sporadically. After a long gap, I was lucky to find myself (virtually) in a meeting with Karl the week before his passing, and as always the discussion was engaging and insightful. Karl will be sorely missed here at work, but nowhere near as much as he will be by his family and loved ones. Deepest condolences. 

Two stories:

I was one of Karl's four officemates in grad school (1988-1990 or so), and he used to drive us all crazy because he could write the final draft of a research paper in three days.  Most of us took a week or two.  I think it was his legal experience.

This is the story I like to tell the younger generations about what life was like before cell phones:  In 1991, I was doing a post-doc in Cambridge, England, and Karl was over there for a conference (or something).  We were going to meet for dinner and a pint.  He wasn't sure what train he was going to be able to catch, and pay phones were a bit dodgy at the time.  So, I took a book down to the train station and spent a couple of hours reading until he came in.  That's how meet-ups used to work.

— with Left to right: Alan Cline (grad advisor), Karl and Ray Mooney (AI Faculty)

Karl at a celebration for some of his officemates finishing their proposals and dissertations

I happened to be at SubTech 2024 with Marc Lauritsen, Kevin Ashley, and others in the AI and Law community, who knew Karl well, when we heard of his passing.  We were all shocked and saddened.  Karl has been one of the leaders in that field for decades.  And he still had so much to offer.  His recent work applying legal technology within the access to justice movement would have been the pinnacle of his career.  Condolences to Susan, Eric, and all of his family and friends.

Karl was one of the researchers and thinkers I most admired in the AI & Law world. His papers and presentations were always elegant. We often got together at conferences. I remember one dinner with him and Carole Hafner in Oslo in the 90s, and multiple activities with him and Susan at the ICAIL last summer in Braga. Besides our shared undergraduate studies in philosophy and music we shared strong interests in legal document automation and access to justice. We were plotting doing a paper or two together in recent months, so the shock of his sudden passing is intense. A sweet, brilliant man. My heard goes out to Susan, Eric, and all family and friends.

I am so shocked and saddened to hear this :( Karl was my fellow graduate student at UT Austin and a dear friend. He was kind, smart, and a very thoughtful person. He had a variety of interests and it was always a pleasure to converse with him. He took me and Charanjit on a visit to Colorado in 1986, and we hiked in the back country - it was a wonderful experience for me to go with a person who enjoyed nature and outdoors so much. I will never forget it. From his FB posts, I saw that he was active in hiking, biking, skiing, etc, and I was looking forward to reconnecting with him in DC in September and doing some biking in the DC area, but alas, it was not meant to happen. Our sincere condolences to Susan, Eric, and Lipica. May his soul Rest in Peace.

Karl was a first-rate researcher and scientist, but even more than that I will remember him as an amazing colleague that was a pleasure to work with and was always very generous with respect to sharing his time and expertise with anyone who needed it. Karl was an invaluable part of our Human Language Technology department at MITRE and he will be greatly missed. It is hard to believe he is gone and my deepest condolences to Karl’s family. 

Half Moon Pass enroute to mountain top — with Charanjit Jutla

Memories of Karl and our high school and college adventures have flooded my mind since receiving the painful news of his passing.  Karl's brilliance, kindness, curiosity, energy, and wit made him the undisputed "leader" of our college friends.  So many memorable experiences we would not have had except for Karl! In our senior year of college, for example, he introduced to the group Leonard Bernstein's Candide, which embodied his love of music, literature, philosophy, and satire.  We listened to it so many times that it became a kind of "theme" music for our group.  I had a good cry  yesterday listening to the amazing finale of this operetta, especially the words: "We're neither pure, nor wise, nor good./ We'll do the best we know./ We'll build our house and chop our wood./ And make our garden grow/ And make our garden grow!"  I can recall Karl listening to this finale with tears in his eyes, for he was never afraid to express his emotions.  To me, these words express Karl's combination of genuine humility and his determined effort to continually do good in a very flawed universe.  I am so grateful that Karl and I reconnected on a more regular basis during the covid shut-down, and that Nancy and I were able to visit with him and Susan last year.  Karl was an extraordinary individual.  I hope Dan Loehr will not object if I echo his beautifully  apt words describing Karl: "I have never met anyone with a mind and soul like his."

Karl and his Great niece on a hike

Karl was a truly kind and generous friend. We shared so many philosophy classes, camping trips, hiking adventures and family gatherings. I remember camping with Susan and Karl, watching shooting stars in the autumn sky.  He will remain in our hearts.

So saddened to hear of Karl’s passing. He was a wonderful co-worker and always a gentleman. He loved life and lived it to its fullest. He will surely be missed. Pamela Davis

— with Karl Branting and Matt Foreman

Karl was a good person - he had a wicked sense of humor and was one of the smartest people I ever knew. We shared a love of AI and Law. He was passionate about fighting bad actors and using AI for good. I enjoyed every minute of working with him, learning from him, and just plain having an old-fashioned chin-wag. 

Such a beautifully written obituary. It was a supplement to what I know about Karl and his family. I knew him as a smart and very nice man. Loved his annual sermons at UUCC! We also shared the choir experience. Susan, I offer you a huge hug.

I was fortunate enough to work with Karl for a number of years at MITRE.  Karl was one of the most amazing people I have ever known.  Obviously brilliant, but mixed with a humility, humanity, caring, and enthusiasm that made him a joy to know.  I have never met anyone with a mind and soul like his.  My deepest condolences to Karl's family. 

I am extremely saddened to hear of Karl’s passing. Karl was one of the first people I spoke to when I started at MITRE. I remember he happened to be on campus that week and he went out of his way to meet with me in person and learn more about my background and interests. A few weeks later, he brought me on to support his project, which led to several follow-on efforts throughout the years. I learned a great deal from Karl and always appreciated his mentorship. In addition to being absolutely brilliant, he was always kind and approachable. I know he will be greatly missed by many.