Barbara Joann Braun

Barbara was born on September 4, 1936, in St. John’s, Michigan to Jack and Marjorie Flower. Barbara was the eldest daughter of four children and grew up as a typical Michigander, snow sledding in the winter and spending her summers at her family’s beloved lake cottage. Everyone, including Barbara, would tell you that even as a child, she was a free spirit that marched to the beat of her own drum!

In 1954 Barbara graduated from St. John’s High School. Her fondest memory after graduation was on November 5, 1955, where she was crowned queen of the new Lansing Civic Center to reign over the Dedication Ball in the Center’s Veterans Memorial Auditorium.

Barbara, being quite the looker, eventually caught the eye of Peter Braun of Fowler, Michigan. They started a romance while Peter was away in the Korean War, and got through the rough times being apart by writing love letters to each other. When he returned home, they eventually married on August 11, 1956, and moved to Chicago, Ill. and started their family there. Chicago was good to them as they welcomed their four daughters Deborah, Stephannie, Michelle and Lisa to their Park Forest home.

In 1964, the Braun family packed up their bags and headed to Nashville, TN. Barbara, (along with the rest of the family) loved living in Nashville. The south and the country music town suited her well. Some of her most famously told stories were when she met Elvis and Johnny Cash (just to name a few), at the Grand Ole Opry. In 1973, the family sadly left their beloved Nashville and headed for Houston, TX, which became their hometown of 46 years.

Barbara started working for Foley’s Department store during a 14-year span between the 70’s and 80’s. She loved working in the Better Sportswear Department, and her closet definitely showed as much!

When Barbara turned 50 she became a devout Catholic, which really shaped her latter adult life, and brought her many new friendships. She kept her “free spirit” traveling around the world. She mixed her love of travel and her love of the Catholic faith and went on many pilgrimages around the world.

Barbara’s greatest and most cherished accomplishment was in 1983, when she became a beloved grandmother! She was the best “Grammie” in the world to all her 7 grandchildren: Jennifer, Lauren, Bobby, Lindsey, Kathleen, Shelby and Emily. She made all of her grandchildren’s childhoods very memorable and magical.

Barbara had a lifetime struggle with Lupus, an autoimmune disease that severely affected her later years. Due to this she spent a lot of time at home watching her favorite Hallmark, Lifetime and Golden Girls shows with her much loved persian cat Brady.

In heaven, Barbara will be reunited with her beloved husband Peter of 62 years, her parents, Marjorie and Jack Flower, her brother John Flower, brother-in-law Alan Matter, and son-in-law Seth Knight. She is survived and will be dearly missed by her sister Virginia Matter, sister Christine Borsum (Doug), her four daughters: Deborah Knight, Stephannie Isola (Bob), Michelle Corey (Dave), Lisa Waller (Kevin), her 7 grandchildren and her 8 great-grandchildren.

On Friday, April 29, 2022, a Funeral Mass will be held at St. Cecilia Catholic Church, 11720 Joan of Arc Dr. in Houston, Texas at 10:30 am. For those who wish to join, a Rosary will be said at 9:30 am immediately preceding the service. There will be a reception immediately following the Funeral Mass at the church. After the reception there will be a graveside service concluded at the Houston National Cemetery.

In lieu of flowers, the family would appreciate a donation to the Lupus Foundation of America at (202) 349-1155, or at www.lupus.org/donate.

Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.waltripfuneraldirectors.com for the Braun family.