Brandon Alan Conklin

“Anything is possible.” That is what Brandon Conklin believed about life. He was a creative man, who seemed to be able to find a solution for any difficulty confronting him. He had faith in his ability to find those solutions. Brandon thoroughly enjoyed understanding how things worked. He possessed an inquisitive, confident, and rational nature matched with a versatile and agile mind. Brandon was a person who believed that he could achieve whatever he set out to do.

Brandon was born on June 9, 1978 at Dwyer Memorial Hospital in Milwaukie, Oregon. His father was Lynn Conklin whom passed away in 2004, and Mother Geri. Brandon was raised in Portland Metro Area. He showed his ingenuity even as a child.

This same talent for finding solutions had a positive bearing on Brandon's family relationships. Brandon was raised with two siblings. He had one older brother Rich Conklin, and younger sister Stephanie Maeda.

As a young boy, He was curious, resourceful and interested in anything original. In his spare time he liked fishing with his father, and reading.

Endowed with an appetite for knowing how his world worked, Brandon enjoyed school, especially when the learning experience involved dissecting and probing the unknown. Brandon was adept at scrutinizing different possibilities and designing innovative solutions. He attended Milwaukie High School and graduated from Robert S. Farrell High School in 1997. He enjoyed some courses more than others, having favorite classes and teachers. His favorite class in high school was art, science and history. He was Artistic and attended online art classes.

Brandon was socially resourceful, an expressive person who was willing to try new things. These qualities drew a lively circle of friends around him. Always interested in his friends’ activities and interests, Brandon was uncritical of his acquaintances. He was sought after by people who recognized that he was generous with his time and energy, and these same friends found Brandon to be very stimulating company. Brandon's humor and curiosity were contagious for those around him. Later in life, he became friends with many people, his closest being all his "brothers” on the fishing vessel he worked, and many more friends.

Brandon was adept at devising original and creative ways to enhance and improve his partnership. Brandon was seldom a critical person, but rather the one who was able to bring out the best in others. Brandon was an entertaining conversationalist who was quick to respond to his spouse's needs. He was a vibrant personality and he enjoyed verbally sparring with Jennifer. In fact, those who knew him often remarked that Brandon loved to argue for argument’s sake. He was very perceptive in recognizing others’ feelings, especially regarding Jennifer's.

Brandon's remarkable talent for being inventive influenced his relationship with his children. He would create original, clever and fun games for his kids and had a knack for finding ways to make every day events, even chores, enjoyable to them. Brandon was blessed with two children, one daughter Brittany and one son Nicholas. Someone who was quick to laugh, Brandon found it easy to spend lots of time with his children, but he was never overbearing or guilty of pushing himself on them.

As a born inventor, Brandon was definitely in his element in his work place. He could easily create new and innovative systems, and incorporate those changes to bring a fresh approach to any work situation. Brandon was a focused worker with a strong drive for achievement. He could assess all of the options before him and, using his analytical skills, could comfortably find answers that no one else had even considered. His personal initiative inspired those around him. His primary occupations was a Commercial Fisherman, owned a security company, cook, and management. Brandon always made an effort to be a team player, doing what needed was necessary in order to get the job done.

Brandon's passion for finding a better way to do things was often an end in itself for him. In fact, that interest by itself became something of a hobby for this perpetual problem solver. Since Brandon was always searching for new and unusual activities, he developed many interests and leisure pursuits. Some of the things he became an “expert” in might come as a surprise to those who knew him, but most friends and family understood that Brandon simply couldn’t be limited to just a few activities or ideas. His favorite pursuits were collecting trinket boxes, video games, traveling, collecting unique swords and knifes.

Brandon's calm demeanor and eternally positive outlook served him well in sports. Recreational sports included Mixed martial arts, including; MMA Jett Kun Do Kenpo, Muay Tai, Braqzilian Jiu Jitsu. Brandon was once a member of Team Quest Fight Club in Gresham, Oregon. Brandon was also something of a sports fan and enjoyed following his favorite events whenever he got the opportunity. Tops on his list were UFC and any other MMA.

With all of his talents, his ingenuity, his solutions and inventiveness, it is no surprise that Brandon received public recognition for his competence. With the drive and ability to meet any challenge, Brandon accumulated a long list of achievements throughout his life. Some of his most prestigious awards included achievement awards throughout grade, middle and high school. He was enrolled in the T. A. G.(talented and gifted)program in the 1st grade.

Having the opportunity to visit and explore a new place always intrigued Brandon. Traveling and going away on vacations offered yet another opportunity for Brandon to expand his ever-growing inventory of knowledge. Favorite vacations included his trip to Newport, Oregon in July 2010, New York and Israel.

Brandon was a lover of animals and cherished his pets. One of Brandon's favorites was Whitey, a snow Bengal. They were best friends for 5 years.

Brandon passed away on August 18, 2010 on the Bering Sea on the fishing vessel he worked on in Alaska 93 miles east of Dutch Harbor. He is survived by his loving spouse Jennifer, and his two children Brittany and Nicholas, his brother Rich, half sister Stephanie, and Mother Geri. He is preceded in death by his father Lynn Conklin

Arrangements under the direction of Lincoln Memorial Funeral Home, Portland, OR.