Leslie A. BRANER

BRANER, WERTZ, RUKA, FOLEY, PACE

Posted By: Sarah Thorson Little (email)
Date: 9/24/2006 at 00:17:40

Leslie A. (Les) Braner, 55, of Belmond, died Sunday, May 26, 2002, at the Belmond Medical Center. Funeral services will be Thursday, May 30, at 10:30 a.m. at United Methodist Church in Belmond, with Pastor Mike Druhl officiating. Burial will take place in the Immanuel Reformed Church Cemetery east of Belmond. Visitation will be from 5 to 8 p.m., Wednesday, May 29, at the Dugger Ewing Funeral Home in Belmond and one hour prior to services at the church. Graveside military rites will be conducted by the Belmond Honor Guard.

Leslie, the son of Donald and Eileen Ruka Braner, was born March 1, 1947, at Belmond. He graduated from Belmond Community Schools in 1965. He attended NIACC. In 1966 he enlisted in the Air Force and served three years, which included a tour in Vietnam. Les moved to Allentown, Pennsylvania, where he worked for a landscape company. On November 11, 1966, he married Kathleen Foley. To this union three children were born: Leslie Jr., Colleen, and Michael. Les returned to Belmond in 1974, and began farming with his father. On August 20, 1982, he married Gloria Wertz at the Little Brown Church in Nashua. To this union two children were born: Nathan and Brandon. Les enjoyed golfing, bowling, snowmobiles, camping, and riding horses. He was a member of the Jaycees, was a lifetime U.S. Jaycee Senator (the first Senator from Belmond), held Regional Director and District Director jobs at different times, was past Jaycee of the Year and received other Jaycee awards. He belonged to the United Methodist Church in Belmond, the Iowa River Riders Snowmobile Club, and the Belmond Country Club.

Les is preceded in death by his grandparents, Harm and Lillian Braner and Earl and Beulah Ruka. He is survived by his wife, Gloria of Belmond; five children, Leslie Braner, Jr., and his wife, Jamie of Frisco, California, Colleen Braner of Carmichael, California, Michael Braner of Sacramento, California, and Nathan Braner and Brandon Braner, both at home in Belmond; four grandchildren; parents, Don and Eileen Braner of Belmond; brother, Randall Braner and his wife, Vicky of San Antonio, Texas; mother-in-law and father-in-law, Harley and Phyllis Wertz of Menlo, Iowa; brother-in-law, Michael Wertz and his wife Carol of Hanlontown; and sister-in-law, Christine Pace of Stuart, Iowa.

May 28, 2002
©Belmond Independent 2002