On Monday, October 14, 2019, Michael David Braun, husband and father of three children, passed away at the age of 65. Mike lost a year-long battle with cancer and was surrounded by his loving family at home.
Mike was born on December 4, 1953 in Grand Island, NE to Milan Gail and Darlene Braun. He graduated from Ventura High School in 1972. After high school, Mike joined the Army and was a Veteran of the Vietnam War. In 1975, he was honorably discharged and began working for the Dept of the Navy, as a Rigger at the Naval Base Ventura County in Port Hueneme. He retired in 2014, after 42 years of employment.
Mike and his wife lived in Ojai, CA and were married for 41 years. He loved Ojai and always said that he didn’t need to travel anywhere else in the world because Ojai was Shangri-La. If you ever visited Mike at his home in Ojai, you’d remember that music always filled the house. He had a great love for the blues and Elvis, which he loved to “force” family and friends to enjoy. Now, we can play some blues to be instantly surrounded with memories of Mike.
Mike’s favorite pastime was playing pool as an active member of the American Pool Association with his team the Attitude Adjusters. They won many tournaments and he also took the MVP title in 2012. If you lived in Ojai you will have memories of Mike bicycling around town - occasionally on his vintage tandem Schwinn bike. He will be well remembered by all for his sense of humor, infectious smile, and feisty spirit. Mike left us with so many fond memories, jokes and quotes.
Michael was preceded in death by his father, Milan Gail, and his mother, Darlene. He is survived by his spouse, Christine, his three children, Crystal Drake-Morris, Jessica Bradley, and Michael Braun, sons-in-law, Brian Morris and Ryan Bradley, grandchildren, Aria Bradley, Aidan and Kiley Morris, as well as many in-laws, nieces, nephews and friends. A funeral service will be held on Saturday, October 26th at 2:30pm at Joseph P. Reardon
Funeral Home, 757 E. Main Street, Ventura, CA 93001.
In his final days, Mike told his family, “Don’t be scared. I’m ready to fly with Elvis.”
“When you walk through a storm hold your head up high
And don’t be afraid of the dark
At the end of a storm is a golden sky
And the sweet silver song of a lark
Walk on through the wind
Walk on through the rain
Tho’ your dreams be tossed and blown
Walk on, walk on with hope in your heart
And you’ll never walk alone
You’ll never, ever walk alone”
You’ll Never Walk Alone recorded by Elvis Presley, 1971