Brian “Branny” Branson, a lifelong resident of Medford, passed away at his home with his family by his side on January 27, 2022. He was 55 years old.
Born in Medford on June 14, 1966, he was the beloved son of the late George F. and Beatrice B. (Melendy) Branson.
Brian is survived by his loving children Kayla Branson and her fiance, Christopher “CJ” Sprague, both of Taunton; Derek Branson of Bridgewater; and Dylan Branson of Bridgewater. His siblings include the late Leonard G Branson; Marsha and her husband Edward Steffen of Henniker, New Hampshire; Joan and her husband Marc Hendel of West Des Moines, Iowa; and Karen and her husband Joseph Cox of Stoneham. He is also survived by his nieces and nephews: Sarah; Rachel and her husband Dameon; Hannah; Elizabeth; Ashley and her husband William; Dalton, and Nathan, as well as great-nieces Emma and Scarlette Rose and great-nephew Frederick, along with many dear cousins and so many wonderful friends.
Brian graduated from Medford High School in the class of 1984. He was employed at MIT Lincoln Labs for over 36 years as a Stock Clerk.
Brian’s volunteer services were evident in the community whether it was supporting his friends or other efforts. His dedication to the community was constant right up to the end. He loved lending a helping hand whenever he was able, disregarding his battle with cancer.
Sports was Brian’s life-long passion. During high school and after, he was an assistant coach for the Summer Babe Ruth Baseball teams The Meagher Club and The Vining Club, along with serving as team manager for the Medford Mustang hockey team. In his senior year of high school he received the Unsung Hero student athlete award for outstanding desire and dedication towards all sports. He also received the Ray Romano student athlete award which is presented for showing courage, desire, pride and determination…all attributes that he exhibited daily. In 2010 Brian was inducted into the Medford High School Mustangs Hall of Fame. He was so happy to have been honored in that way. He also loved to bowl and was an avid bowler. After high school, he continued his involvement in sports and became a baseball umpire. He was a member of the Eastern Massachusetts Baseball Umpire Association and received the Umpire Presidential Award in 2019 for significant achievements and contributions.
His love of sports extended beyond the City of Medford. For the last eight years Brian spent one or more weeks each summer volunteering as an umpire at Cooperstown where just this past summer he fulfilled his dream of umpiring in the championship game.
Recently, Brian was honored by the Medford High school athletic department when they named an award after him: The Brian Branson Award. This award is given to the individual who exhibits excellence both on and off the field. Very appropriate for such an award to be created in this way as he was the epitome of Mustang Pride!
The flags were lowered in his honor on the day of his departing at the Medford City Hall and Medford High School.
Above all, he was a very devoted father. He loved his children Kayla, Derek and Dylan so very much and his face always lit up whenever he spoke of them to his family and friends. He was so proud of everything they did and tried never to miss an opportunity to attend a game or school event.
He will be dearly missed by his family and friends along with the community of Medford, but everyone he touched will always remember “Branny”. His legacy will never wane.
His Funeral Service will be celebrated in the Grace Episcopal Church, 160 High Street, Medford on Wednesday, February 2, 2022 at 10:00 am. Relatives and friends are most welcome to attend. Masks are required in the church and the funeral home. Visiting hours will be held in the Beals-Geake-Magliozzi Funeral Home, 29 Governors Avenue, Medford on February 1, 2022 from 3-7 pm. Interment will be held in the Oak Grove Cemetery in Medford. In lieu of flowers, donations in Brian’s memory may be made to the future Brian Branson scholarship fund. Donations can be sent to Karen Cox, PO Box 80054, Stoneham, MA 02180. For additional information, please visit, www.magliozzifuneralhome.com.
For live stream from the Grace Episcopal Church:
The link for Vimeo is: https://vimeo.com/gracemedford.
The link for the website is: https://www.gracemedford.org/sundayworship