Birth date: Sep 19, 1936 Death date: Feb 26, 2020
Kenneth A. Branch died Wednesday, Feb. 26, 2020, at his home near Quincy, Fla. He was 83. He is survived by his wife of 60 years, Linda Branch; his daughter, Joni Branch; a grandson, Jack Branch Straub; a sister, Dora Ostrander; Read Obituary
Although I didn't really know Kenny, whenever I think of him, it is "Kenny and Linda." My dear cousin Linda married Kenny when she was quite young, and what i admire about them both is the love that they shared for so very many years. Linda, you must be so proud of who your husband was, and all that you shared. So I send you and Joni and Jack big hugs from the mountains of Colorado. I know that you will miss him with every breath you take. I hold you in my arms with love, Cousin Donna
I was saddened to learn of my uncle Kenny's passing. I use uncle here to show my relationship however I never called him uncle I just referred to him as Kenny. He was more of an older brother because I was the first grandchild. I grew up with him, my mother, grandmother and Betty ,George , Ruth and Dora in the "old place" in Jackson
County and we later moved to Marianna where I started school and he went in the Air Force. I too went in the Air Force following in his footsteps. I also followed him to Florida State and became an accountant. I loved dove hunting with him, J G and Charles Hollister. I will miss him. Rest in peace Kenny I too will see you in heaven.
I am sorry that Ken has passed, but he had a better life than most; he shared the love of his family above all else, as well as his love of country, and he lived by a philosophy of general fairness and decency.
Having lost my own father at a young age, I looked up to and respected Ken for his experience, solid grounding in reality, fundamental kindness, and his grudging but genuine tolerance of other points of view. He travelled a lot, for the Service and his career, and I got the impression that travel taught him to accept that people from other countries and other families lived and thought differently, without taking away from what he believed. Ken stayed true to the root values he learned growing up on a farm; he worked hard all his life, and loved and took care of his family. I know he would have done anything for Linda, Joni, and Jack. Not to mention the multitude of dogs, cats, and chickens that he and Linda always accumulated, which must have made him feel just a little bit like one of the farmers he grew up with.
He was a strong, sweet man, and I will miss him.
Joe Straub
I wanted to be the first here to post about my dad. Dad was not a churchgoer, but an old friend who knew him well called him a “righteous man,” and that rings deeply true. Dad stuck unwaveringly to what he believed was right and forged his own path.
Kenneth Branch grew up in hardship in rural Jackson County and lost his own father when my dad was only 2. So Dad didn’t come from much in the way of means, but he always understood the value of work. He joined the Air Force at 17, served for four years and returned to Florida to earn a college degree and marry his Jackson County sweetheart, my mom, Linda. Along with her, he earned his own version of the American Dream.
As for me — I never doubted his unshakeable love. As long as he was able, if I had called Dad at 3 a.m. and asked him to drive 400 miles to meet me, he would have hit the road.
