Mike was born July 16th, 1946, in Dodge City, Kansas to Frank and Fern Brannan. He grew up in Meade, Kansas, and graduated from Meade High School. He was active in the Boy Scouts and earned the rank of Eagle Scout. He attended Kansas State University and earned a degree in Geology and Engineering. He went on to serve in Vietnam as a captain in the United States Army Corps of Engineers. He earned the Bronze Star for achievement. Following Vietnam, he was stationed at Fort Leonard Wood where he met his wife, Joyce, while trying to recruit people to go to a dance at the officer’s club. They ended up dancing every dance. They had three daughters: Heather, Katy, and Megan and moved to Bartlesville, Oklahoma in 1981 when Mike went to work for Phillips 66 as an engineer. While working full time and raising a family, Mike completed a master’s degree in civil engineering from the University of Oklahoma in 1989. He was active in his local church, St. Luke’s Episcopal Church and also completed a certificate in Education for Ministry through the School of Theology at Sewanee. Mike loved sailing and was an active member at Windycrest Sailing Club. He loved teaching the young sailor’s group and served as Commodore of Windycrest in 2001. He loved sailing in the MS Regatta on his Merit 25. Mike, Joyce, and Katy moved to Houston, TX in 2003 when he was transferred for work with ConocoPhillips. He was an active member of Emmanuel Episcopal Church in Houston, Texas since moving to Houston in 2003. He also became involved in building and racing model boats. He enjoyed playing bridge and canasta and was an avid reader. Regardless of where he lived, Mike loved being involved in amateur ham radio and was actively involved in the Katy Area Radio Society. He volunteered his time on numerous occasions as a ham radio operator at the Houston Marathon, the MS150 Bike Ride, and the Battleship Texas. His call sign was KA50XA. He also helped the Boy Scouts commission a new ham radio badge. He also loved animals and was particularly fond of cats.
Mike was preceded in death by his parents; brother, Bill Brannan; and his wife, Joyce, of 47 years. He is survived by his three daughters, Heather Smith (Shane), Katy Arnold (Harold III), and Megan Brannan (Christopher Cotton); brother, Doug Brannan and wife, Jeanine; grandchildren, Chelsea, Ian (Gabby), Evan, Ryan, Hannah, Harold IV, and Michael; great grandchildren, Riley and Emberlyn; grand dogs, Pickles and Happy; and a host of cousins, nieces and nephews, family and friends.
Mike was a kind-hearted and generous soul, and he will be greatly missed by all who knew him.
A funeral service will be held at 10:30am on Saturday, November 6th, 2021, at Emmanuel Episcopal Church located at 3785 Barker Cypress Rd, Houston, Texas 77084. The funeral service will also be livestreamed on Facebook Live and can be found at www.facebook.com/EmmanuelEpiscopalHouston. Please note, no Facebook account is needed to view the service. Once on the Emmanuel Facebook page, you may need to refresh it until the live service begins.
In lieu of flowers, donations can be made in Mike’s name to the Citizens for Animal Protection (CAP), www.cap4pets.org or a charity of your choice.
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