1928
William
2013
William W. Braden
January 14, 1928 — April 18, 2013
William Wallace Braden
Weslaco, TX:
William Wallace Braden, Jr. passed away at his home in John Knox Village, Weslaco on Thursday, April 18.
William (Bill) was born to William Wallace and Olive Skeen Braden of Amarillo, Texas on January 14, 1928. His younger brother, Robert Braden of Houston, Texas, predeceased him in October, 2001.
After graduation from Amarillo High School, Bill joined the U.S. Navy at age 17 and served aboard the cruiser, USS. Wichita as an orderly to the Captain. He loved the sea and determined to return to it after his discharge. He stayed in the Naval Reserve, was commissioned an officer and served aboard the destroyer, USS Weeks.
Bill graduated from the University of Texas at Austin with a degree in Civil Engineering, was a member of SAE fraternity and a member of the Austin Police Pistol Team during his college years. He married Martha Ann Hulett of Amarillo, Texas in 1950 and two children were born to this union, Rebecca Braden Nordeman and William Wallace “Tripp” Braden, III.
Bill had multiple careers. After several years in the construction business he worked for the Amarillo National Bank. He and his father-in-law operated an extensive cattle operation for several years buying, selling, pasturing and feeding cattle. He then entered into a meat packing enterprise and operated the Golden Spread Packing Plant until he won a contract to build and operate a state-of-the-art National Park Service marina on Lake Meredith near Amarillo.
Bill’s love the sea inspired him to pursue a goal he had nurtured since childhood: to go to sea as skipper of his own sailing vessel and sail wherever fair winds would take him. After building a 43-ton sailing vessel in Wilmington, CA, he and second wife, Clare, sailed the seas for 7 years, 55, 000 statute miles. During his sailing days, Bill received a U.S. Coast Guard Captain’s License to command 100-ton commercial vessels beyond the U.S. boundaries of demarcation. He was elected to membership in the 100-member international Seven Seas Cruising Commodores Association. He wrote and published a book, Blue Water Odyssey, about his 7-year sailing adventure. After so many years at sea the Bradens decided the Rio Grande Valley was the place they wanted to live. They developed a citrus growing operation; Granny Clare’s Citrus, in Harlingen, Texas and shipped prime grapefruit and oranges throughout the country.
In 2007, Bill moved to John Knox Village in Weslaco and sold his home and citrus groves in 2011.
Bill served as president of the Adams Gardens Water District and on the Board of the Gladys Porter Zoo for over 25 years.
Bill is survived by daughter, Rebecca Braden Nordeman of Monument, Colorado and son, William Wallace Braden III of Dallas, Texas; grandchildren, Stacey Weldin of Seattle, WA; Shannon Holder of Crested Butte, Colorado; William Wallace Braden IV of Richmond, Virginia; Wesley Braden of St. Louis, Missouri; and three great-grandchildren, Abigail and Josh Weldin and Jack Holder.
After so many adventures, Bill claimed that the last five and a half years were the happiest years of his life. He and his beloved friend and companion, Marge Flados of Harlingen, Texas, traveled extensively together, logging numerous cruises, trips to Europe and adventures throughout the USA. Bill’s children both adore her and are so grateful for the joy she brought him in the last years of his life.
Bill loved the following poem, and asked this be cited to memorialize him:
~from Lord Byron’s “Apostrophe to the Ocean”
“And I have loved thee, Ocean! And my joy
Of youthful sports was on thy breast to be
Borne, like thy bubbles, onward…!
From a boy I wantoned with thy breakers,---
They to me were a delight; and if the freshening sea
Made them a terror, ‘twas a pleasing fear;
For I was as it were a child of thee,
And trusted to thy billows far and near
And laid my hand upon thy mane,---as I do here.”
The family wishes to express their sincere thanks to Javier, Maria and Paul Villa for their loving care during his illness.
A gathering of family and friends will be on Saturday, April 20, 2013 from 4 until 6 P.M. at Buck Ashcraft Funeral Home.
In lieu of flowers the family request that donations be made in Bill’s memory to Olivia’s Angels, P.O. Box 950; Amarillo, TX 79105, a favorite charity of Bill’s son’s wife, Vicki.
Weslaco, TX:
William Wallace Braden, Jr. passed away at his home in John Knox Village, Weslaco on Thursday, April 18.
William (Bill) was born to William Wallace and Olive Skeen Braden of Amarillo, Texas on January 14, 1928. His younger brother, Robert Braden of Houston, Texas, predeceased him in October, 2001.
After graduation from Amarillo High School, Bill joined the U.S. Navy at age 17 and served aboard the cruiser, USS. Wichita as an orderly to the Captain. He loved the sea and determined to return to it after his discharge. He stayed in the Naval Reserve, was commissioned an officer and served aboard the destroyer, USS Weeks.
Bill graduated from the University of Texas at Austin with a degree in Civil Engineering, was a member of SAE fraternity and a member of the Austin Police Pistol Team during his college years. He married Martha Ann Hulett of Amarillo, Texas in 1950 and two children were born to this union, Rebecca Braden Nordeman and William Wallace “Tripp” Braden, III.
Bill had multiple careers. After several years in the construction business he worked for the Amarillo National Bank. He and his father-in-law operated an extensive cattle operation for several years buying, selling, pasturing and feeding cattle. He then entered into a meat packing enterprise and operated the Golden Spread Packing Plant until he won a contract to build and operate a state-of-the-art National Park Service marina on Lake Meredith near Amarillo.
Bill’s love the sea inspired him to pursue a goal he had nurtured since childhood: to go to sea as skipper of his own sailing vessel and sail wherever fair winds would take him. After building a 43-ton sailing vessel in Wilmington, CA, he and second wife, Clare, sailed the seas for 7 years, 55, 000 statute miles. During his sailing days, Bill received a U.S. Coast Guard Captain’s License to command 100-ton commercial vessels beyond the U.S. boundaries of demarcation. He was elected to membership in the 100-member international Seven Seas Cruising Commodores Association. He wrote and published a book, Blue Water Odyssey, about his 7-year sailing adventure. After so many years at sea the Bradens decided the Rio Grande Valley was the place they wanted to live. They developed a citrus growing operation; Granny Clare’s Citrus, in Harlingen, Texas and shipped prime grapefruit and oranges throughout the country.
In 2007, Bill moved to John Knox Village in Weslaco and sold his home and citrus groves in 2011.
Bill served as president of the Adams Gardens Water District and on the Board of the Gladys Porter Zoo for over 25 years.
Bill is survived by daughter, Rebecca Braden Nordeman of Monument, Colorado and son, William Wallace Braden III of Dallas, Texas; grandchildren, Stacey Weldin of Seattle, WA; Shannon Holder of Crested Butte, Colorado; William Wallace Braden IV of Richmond, Virginia; Wesley Braden of St. Louis, Missouri; and three great-grandchildren, Abigail and Josh Weldin and Jack Holder.
After so many adventures, Bill claimed that the last five and a half years were the happiest years of his life. He and his beloved friend and companion, Marge Flados of Harlingen, Texas, traveled extensively together, logging numerous cruises, trips to Europe and adventures throughout the USA. Bill’s children both adore her and are so grateful for the joy she brought him in the last years of his life.
Bill loved the following poem, and asked this be cited to memorialize him:
~from Lord Byron’s “Apostrophe to the Ocean”
“And I have loved thee, Ocean! And my joy
Of youthful sports was on thy breast to be
Borne, like thy bubbles, onward…!
From a boy I wantoned with thy breakers,---
They to me were a delight; and if the freshening sea
Made them a terror, ‘twas a pleasing fear;
For I was as it were a child of thee,
And trusted to thy billows far and near
And laid my hand upon thy mane,---as I do here.”
The family wishes to express their sincere thanks to Javier, Maria and Paul Villa for their loving care during his illness.
A gathering of family and friends will be on Saturday, April 20, 2013 from 4 until 6 P.M. at Buck Ashcraft Funeral Home.
In lieu of flowers the family request that donations be made in Bill’s memory to Olivia’s Angels, P.O. Box 950; Amarillo, TX 79105, a favorite charity of Bill’s son’s wife, Vicki.
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