Burl Branham was born on January 24, 1931 in Davisport, Kentucky to Elias and Marie (Penix) Branham. He married Yvonne (Boyd) Branham in March 1954 in Paintsville, Kentucky. Their only child, Jeffrey Branham, was born on June 11, 1957.
Burl joined the US Army as a Private on January 8, 1948 and was promoted to Master Sergeant in 1951. He served in both the Korean War and Vietnam War, acquiring multiple different awards including 4 Purple Hearts, a Silver Star, a Bronze Star, National Defense Service Medal, and many others. He was also awarded the Distinguished Marksmanship Badge and the President’s Hundred Tab Brassard. Burl was a member of many different shooting teams and won a national championship with the USAPAC team in 1964. He was a coach of the USAMTU Rifle and Shotgun teams for over 20 years and won multiple national championships. During his 22-year tenure as the Shotgun team coach, he coached 5 World Champions, more than 30 National Champions, and 18 Olympians, including 4 Olympic medalists. He was inducted into the US Army Marksmanship Hall of Fame in 2008 for his accomplishments with both the Service Rifle and Shotgun teams.
Burl lived out his retirement years in Columbus, Georgia. He enjoyed quail hunting, fishing, working on guns, and training bird dogs. He especially loved spending time with his only granddaughter, Ashley, teaching her all about the outdoors, shooting, hunting, and watching her play soccer. He became a proud great-grandfather to Demy Branham in April 2024.
Burl is preceded in death by his grandparents who raised him, George and Florence Penix; parents, Elias and Marie; his brothers, Granville, Earl, and Elmer; his wife, Yvonne; and his daughter-in-law, Dee Dee Branham.
Burl is survived by his brother, Elias Branham Jr.; sister, Darlene Bragg; son, Jeffrey Branham; granddaughter, Ashley (Kim) Branham; and great-granddaughter, Demy Branham.
A Visitation will be held at Striffler-Hamby Mortuary in St. Elmo from 12:30 pm until 1:30 pm on Friday, September 20th, followed by a Funeral Service at Chapel of the Pines Mausoleum in Parkhill Cemetery at 2:00pm.
