Obituary of Nancy Braunger

BRAUNGER, Nancy R. Surrounded by her family, Nancy Ruth Braunger unexpectedly, yet peacefully, passed away from complications due to pneumonia on Tuesday, August 13, 2013, in Santa Barbara, CA. She was 69 years old. Nancy was born on September 29, 1943 in Stoneham, MA, the second of 4 children. She moved to sunny California in 1957, and graduated from Beverly Hills High School in 1963. In January 1965, she met Tom Braunger, at the 50/50 Club, a social venue for young, single Catholics, where she was affectionately known as 'The Spark Plug'. In February 1965, she and Tom were engaged, and on June 26, 1965, they married at Blessed Sacrament Church in Hollywood, CA. Together they managed The Patio Gardens, an apartment complex a couple of blocks from Hollywood Boulevard, where she got a kick out of renting to a few of the famous TV and Movie Stars of the day. In 1976, they moved their budding family, which included the first 3 of their 4 children, to Santa Barbara, CA in search of a quieter, more suburban life, and fresher air. A ball of pure energy, she was blessed with genetics that allowed her to maintain her natural, sandy blonde hair color, without any grey, throughout her whole life, and consequently, she always looked much younger than her age. She was a devoted wife and mother, who had the loudest, most fun-loving, and truly unique personality, but she found her greatest pleasure in fulfilling her dream of becoming a mother to her 4 children. She was a lifelong, devout Catholic, who attended both St. Raphael's and Our Lady of Mt. Carmel parishes, but held the Latin Tridentine Mass close to her heart, and was passionate about instilling that same strong sense of faith in her children, finding that to be her greatest purpose. Her favorite era was the 1950's, and as a result, she developed an impressive archive of hundreds of old, classic movies and TV shows, and if asked, she could recommend several options for an evening of entertainment, reciting the title, year, and actors of any show in her collection. She also loved her 1950's Rock 'n Roll and would often crank it up and dance around whenever, or wherever, the mood struck her. She never met a form of beef (steak or cheeseburgers), glass of root beer ("Bring me another beer!"), or a bucket of Red Vines she didn't like. With all of this energy, one can only imagine how she injected the Activities Department at Buena Vista Care Center in Goleta, CA with her clapping, laughter, compassion, and overall zest for life, while entertaining the residents there as a part-time employee . Her favorite weekly Activity was selecting and putting on the Sunday night movie, after preparing and serving popcorn and pineapple juice. To be able to share her love of old movies with a generation that truly appreciated them was her dream job. She made an extra special effort to get to work early in order to allow enough time to visit with the residents, and to make sure that she got them to the various Activities of the day on time so they didn't miss a minute of the fun she had in store for them. She was very creative in finding solutions to unique problems, and constantly gave of her time, talents, and resources. Never one to give up on anything, she would bend over backwards for anyone in need of help. Nancy touched many lives, perhaps even more than she knew, and will be deeply missed. She was preceded in death by her mother, Corinne Reid, her step-father, Robert Reid, and her father, Henry Burbine. She is survived by her husband of 48 years, Tom, her 4 children, Penny Dodge (Lawrence) of Wisconsin, Becky Mines of Connecticut, Christopher Braunger (Brooke) of Virginia, and Heidi Braunger of Santa Barbara, 13 grandchildren, 1 great-grandchild, her older brother Daniel "Danny" Burbine (Cindy) of Texas, her 2 younger brothers, Richard "Dicky" Burbine (Weepa) of Hawaii, Roger "Lucky" Reid (Dinah) of Maryland, 15 nieces and nephews, and numerous great nieces and nephews. The Braunger Family would like to express their sincere gratitude to the team of doctors and nurses in the Cottage Hospital MICU for their dedication and care of Nancy, which was also generously extended to the family members who remained at her bedside every day throughout her illness. A rosary is scheduled for Wednesday, September 4, 2013 at 4:00pm, with a funeral Mass to follow on Thursday, September 5, 2013 at 10:00am, both held at Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Church in Montecito, CA. The inurnment will be held at the Goleta Cemetery on Thursday, September 5, 2013 at 11:30am. In lieu of flowers, please consider making a donation for her final expenses. Checks may be made payable to the Estate of Nancy Braunger and mailed to PO Box 6883, Santa Barbara, CA 93160. Arrangements entrusted to McDermott-Crockett Mortuary.