I met Joe at my first George Brown College varsity basketball practice. He (like I) was a runner. I was new to Toronto,  coming from a small eastern town, and he made me feel welcome. I remember we actually competed doing our stairs drill (6 floors up, 6 floors down, each floor had a double stair) back at Casa Loma campus. It was awesome. We laughed the whole way up and down! Joe and Tony became my good friends. They invited me to reside at the Hotel Ashworth in my last years at GBC. That was a great bunch indeed. They attended my wedding, we played hoops on Saturday mornings in the summer at Havergal College, we played on many b-ball teams together, we enjoyed the company with all the usual b-ball participants,  we had it good back then and had our whole lives ahead of us. Joe helped me move into the frat on Madison Ave. when I got kicked out of my apartment. Joe and Tony gave me a job when I got laid off from deHavilland. I am so blessed to have known Joe. He was a real gentlemen's gentlemen. I will miss him.

Its only been 7 years since the Scarboro Master called it quits. I thought it would go on til at least 2050. Great bunch of guys and friends and team mates and opponents, with the rabid competition finished up with a few coolies.
I played the game for 50 years from Coast to Coast wrapped up with Scarboro Masters, replacing sweat with beers.
All my team mates and opponents are brothers for life. 
Sadly I won't hang out with Baz any more, he was a great pal and player. And his last missed layup cost him, his friends and family dearly. But we will remember the joy he shared not his misses.
Frenchie

The Twins were among the most competent, kindest, most talented, players and best team mates in the Scarboro Masters Hoops... WHich isn't all that big a kudo because Basil Mangano is still playing and Doug Snow is still drinking beer. They were gentlemen and because I could never tell them apart I never knew who to cover... Tricky

Paige & family
I just learned today of Joe's passing.   I learned from Jim Barron at a celebration of life in Aurora.  Please accept my sincere condolences.
I will uphold you in my thoughts & prayers.
Sincerely
Carol

Liebe Familie Braunstein,
wie ich heute erfahren habe ist Joe Braunstein verstorben.
Ich sende Euch mein aufrichtiges Beileid und wünsche Euch
viel Kraft und Gottes Segen diese schwierige Zeit des Trauern
zu bestehen. Es werden dann aber auch Zeiten kommen in
der man positiv zurückdenkt, dass man einen so lieben Menschen wie Joe hatte.
In tiefer Verbundenheit
Ernst Jäntsch aus Deutschland (Cousin 2. Grades)

To all the Braunstein family,
Deepest condolences to everyone.  My prayers and thoughts are with you at this difficult time. 

God bless,
Francesca Tanunagara & family 

Sorry for your loss. Otto and Carmen Weber 

               God Saw You
God saw you getting tired,
When a cure was not to be.
So, he wrapped his arms around you,
And whispered, "Come to me".
You didn't deserve what you went through,
So, he gave you a rest.
God's garden must be beautiful,
For He only takes the best.
And when I saw you sleeping,
So peaceful and free from pain,
I could not wish you back,
To suffer that again.
(author unknown)

You're my younger brother and torn from our lives much too soon.
Love you forever,   Gela

Dear Paige, Mitchell, Thomas, Kendall, Tony, Elisabeth, Angela, Anita and the entire Braunstein family,

We were so sorry to hear of the loss of Joseph. We know how much he meant to all of you and want to extend our heartfelt sympathies and condolences.

Joseph was truly a remarkable man. His friendliness stays on our minds, and we are sure that he inspired everyone around him. Some of us had the chance to only meet him once, but some met Joseph multiple times over the decades both in Germany and Canada. He will be deeply missed by everyone who knew him.

Please know that our thoughts and support are with you all during this difficult time. May you find comfort in your memories of Joseph, and in the love that he had for each and every one of you.

Sincerely,

Gabriele, Christina, Joachim, Klaus, Hans, Sophie, Lena, Steffen, Christian and the entire Mast and Baumbusch families.

 I was a teacher at WCCI in Scarborough.  I never taught Joe but I remember him as an outstanding basketball player.  He and  his brother, Joe mesmerized other school teams.  I am so saddened to hear of his passing. My most heartfelt condolences to his family. 
RIP
Lennox Borel

Paige & family.  I offer my sincere condolences to you all during this difficult time.  I will cherish my fond memories of Joe, from when we were just kids in college and living in a big house in Toronto, to then enjoying the many get togethers with our families and watching our children grow up together. I hope you feel surrounded my all the love of family & friends. Thinking of you all.

Joe was the kind of man that makes everyone around him better.  His laugh, his attitude, and most of all his smile made good times even better.  I will remember him for all of this and his incredible work ethic.  The world needs more people like Joe.  Paige, Mitch, Thomas, and Kendall, Kim and I are holding you close in our thoughts.

It’s often said that the true value of a life is measured by what they have given to others in the years they have been given. Although it has been some time since I have seen Joe, what he gave me in our undergrad years at TDChi and summers with Evans Construction was a true appreciation of what it means to work hard, put in an honest day’s effort, and maintain a sense of humor while doing it, and for that I am grateful. It was truly an honor to call him a friend. Peace to him and his family.

Joe helped build my fist home. Through his friendship with my Dad, that home and future homes included growing families, countless memories and a lifelong friendship that can only be considered admirable.  I know how special he was to our family and can only imagine the loss others are feeling, and for that reason I wanted to share my sincerest condolences. As much as my Dad says he was the all-star on the court, I know that's only because Joe was his right hand man. Thank you to the whole Braunstein family for sharing your #1 guy with our family too, and so many others.  We are thankful for the years spent with him but he will truly be missed. Lots of love. 

Joe was always a positive, friendly fraternity brother who lit up a room with his smile.

I have fond memories of Joe from the late 1970s at the fraternity, as he and his brother Tony contributed immensely to improving our house on Madison Avenue.

Because of his significant contributions of time and effort to our fraternity, Joe’s name appears on our Roll of Honour that formerly recognizes those who made a difference at Theta Delta Chi.  

Sincerest condolences to Joe’s family.

Rest in peace, Joe.

In The Bonds,

Steve 



Working on the farm with Joe will be some of my favourite memories. I will miss those days. Tough as nails the heart of a lion but a marshmallow. 
One of Joe’s favourite views on the farm. 
😘

Our deepest condolences to the Braunstein Family.
We are very sorry and saddened to hear about Joe's passing.
He was taken far too soon.  Know that he will live on in the kindness and love he brought to your hearts and may all the wonderful memories you shared together bring you comfort in the days ahead.

We are holding you in our thoughts and sending love at this very difficult time.

Maryanne, Britt and Erica Davison 
Daniel Frank

Joe was a wonderful brother to his siblings and I will forever be grateful for the many memories, heartfelt conversations and closeness we shared. He will be missed beyond words. With profound love, your sister Bette 

     Joe was larger than life. Very few men stood as tall, worked as hard and were admired by so many. His smile, laugh and positive attitude towards life were always inspiring. We shared much together over 45 years of friendship, both in good times and bad. I was so very proud to call him a friend. He will be greatly missed. Deepest sympathies to Paige, Mitchell, Thomas and Kendall.

Ted

Our hearts are broken. Joe was a great friend and words can't express how saddened we are at his passing. Our thoughts and prayers are with you at this difficult time.

Meeting joe for the first time was a breath of 
Fresh air bigger than life stood this man and 
With his unforgettable smile he introduced
Himself. His love of basketball took no back 
Seat to anyone along with his intensity and aggressive style. During practice he would 
Run to no end and prior to the start of practice
He would run from st James campus to CassLoma he was truly an exceptional athlete. He made everyone around him better as a person
And understood what it took to be successful
In life. I will honourably miss him

Val Pozzan   With Love


So sad and shocking. Those of us who were aware of Joe’s illness always believed he would recover and life would resume as usual .  He was a close friend and basketball teammate since high school. We played together along with Tony and numerous other friends in leagues and tournaments and created this group that have remained close for decades.We were in each other’s Wedding parties, We watched each other’s families begin and grow. Our children became friends with one another and now they are starting there own lives and families. Joe was there for me with kindness and support during the most difficult time in my life. He will be forever missed and always remembered. My deepest condolences to Bob, Paige Mitchell, Thomas, Kendall, Tony, Brenda, Lee, Adam, Georgia and all of us who were so close to Joe for so long.

Joe was a good friend and a great basketball teammate . He lead by example. He never stopped running, never got tired and was an awesome defender. I will miss his energy and his wonderful smile. 
My sincere condolences to the Braunstein family. 
May your memories give you comfort.

Sincerely,
Sheldon Nadal.

My deepest condolences to the Braunstein family and especially to Tony. I have such fond memories of Joe from our fraternity days. From the moment I joined, I thought it was pretty cool to hang out with them and to also be introduced to some of the great friends they attracted. Joe was always the gentleman, with a great sense of humor but not adverse to some playful pranks.  
I loved going for runs around campus together - always starting out at talking pace, but rarely finishing that way. I was in awe of his energy and his skill when it came to construction projects. And if you needed some help, he was there to lend a hand - even moving furniture at my Dad's office
I haven't seen much of Joe since I moved west but I will remember him fondly.   

ITB. Jim Noel

On behalf of the Scarborough Masters Basketball League, we would like to send out our condolences to the extended Braunstein families.
Joe with brother Tony was an integral part of Our basketball family. Joe was a great leader and a wonderful athlete who had more energy and enthusiasm than anyone else in our league, other than brother Tony.
 Joe was such a nice guy and always a hard worker with anything he did.
 He was easy to get along with, and was always happy.
 We are really  going to miss Joe. He was one of the great ones! 
Basil Mangano, Andrew Huntley and Demo Aliferis and the rest of the boys.

I had the pleasure and honour to know Joseph. We played basketball together in the Scarboro Masters League and several Masters tournaments in Buffalo.

He was an inspiration and exemplar of all that is good in a man. 

We will miss you Joe.

Rest in Peace.

Demo Aliferis

So sad to hear of Joe's passing. My thoughts and prayers go out to Paige, Mitchell, Thomas and Kendall.




I had the pleasure of playing ball with Joe for many years.   He was a tremendous competitor and always had a smile on his face - just like the photo posted.   
He will be missed on the Sunday morning runs!
My condolences to the family.

My deepest condolences on the loss of Joe. I always looked forward to seeing him each week at basketball to catch up. A fierce competitor but an even better human being.

You will be missed Joe!

I was fortunate to be invited to join in for the SAC basketball runs over the past 5 years or so.  It has been and will continue to be a great time of comradery and friendly competition amongst like minded guys.  
My first impression of Joe was 'how old is that guy?' and 'how on Earth is he beating me down the court?'.  He was quite an athlete.
I admired his competitiveness and his good nature.  I even respected the screens he set that could rattle your bones.  I would often tell my wife that after playing with or against him, I wanted to remain as active as possible as I aged.

You'll be missed on the court Joe.

My deepest condolences to his family.  

My sincere condolences to the Braunstein family, I played many years of basketball with and against Joe.  Joe always had a positive attitude on the court and I'm sure it was the same with family and work.  Joe's famous line to me was but I was open, there wasn't a shot that Joe didn't like.  
We will miss you Joe!

Regards, 

Harry Vanwensem

I had the opportunity and pleasure of meeting Joe and playing basketball with him Sunday mornings at SAC for the last 7-8 years.  I remember how athletic Joe was, and how he would outrun all the younger guys.  Joe's energy got everyone hustling more and working harder.  We were all there for a workout, and Joe made sure we got our workout in.  I remember how when we started using an app to track and notify player attendance for the run, Joe never used the app but he would always be there.  So if the app said there was 12 guys coming on Sunday morning we knew it would be 13 with Joe.  I will miss seeing Joe on Sunday mornings and knowing that 12 really means 12.

My thoughts and prayers are with Joe's family during this difficult time.  


OBITUARY

Joseph Martin Braunstein

23 February, 1957 – 27 January, 2023

Thompson Funeral Home

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