James Branas had ALS but was determined not to give the disease the last word. He died peacefully in his sleep because that’s how he wanted to go. He couldn’t stand anyone telling him what to do, especially not the disease that ravaged his family by taking his sister, mother and grandfather. He loved his family, especially his grandchildren Lilly and Ensleigh McCarley and Silas and Kaia Branas. He was constantly telling funny stories about them. He loved watching their ball games and their antics. He was very proud of all four of them and would tell anyone and everyone who would listen. He loved coffee, motorcycles, camping with his friends and scenic mountains. He loved muscle cars and anything with exceptional power and speed. His answer to everything was more power. A graduate of California State Polytechnic University, San Luis Obispo, he studied architecture and ultimately left with an engineering degree. He was an engineer in every definition of the word. He would explain everything in formulated detail to completely recreate a scenario. He had an exceptional mind. He worked on many big projects during his career, from building and maintaining nuclear power plants, building Animal Kingdom for Disney in Orlando, FL, and even working for Redstone Arsenal on a bioreactor growing pancreas cells in microgravity. He has been a devout member of First United Methodist Church in Hartselle, AL since 1991.He was preceded in death by his parents James and Gertrude Branas II and his sister Johanna Branas Logan. He left behind three children Lauren Branas McCarley (Bert)of Hartselle, Trevor Branas (Katie) of Huntsville and Tessa Branas of Duluth, GA and four grandchildren Lilly and Ensleigh McCarley and Silas and Kaia Branas. He was married to Terry Hughes for 25 years and maintained a friendship after divorce. Special thank you to Hospice of the Valley and caregivers.
