A lifelong resident of the area, Brandenberger was born January 18, 1930, at Baptist Hospital in Houston. He was raised in Addicks, where his father Stanley S. Brandenberger and mother Evelyn Duke Brandenberger operated the Brandenberger dairy farm. The family moved to Houston around 1940 when Brandenberger’s father sold the business to Sanitary Farm Dairies.
Brandenberger graduated from Rice University in 1952 with a bachelor of arts degree and then earned a PhD in chemistry from the University of Texas at Austin in 1956. After receiving his doctorate, Brandenberger went to work for Shell Oil as a research chemist and remained with the company until his retirement in 1990. He primarily worked at Shell refineries and laboratories in the Houston area, except for 1968-69 when he worked at Shell headquarter’s laboratory in Amsterdam.
During his long research career, Brandenberger authored or co-authored numerous peer-reviewed articles published in the Journal of Organic Chemistry and other prestigious journals. He held numerous patents arising from his work for Shell.
Brandenberger enjoyed many hobbies, including photography, astronomy, gardening and golf. He was an avid traveler, making subsequent trips to Europe after his year living there. He also traveled to South America, Central America and the Caribbean. A devoted sports fan, he had a special place in his heart for his alma maters, Rice and Texas, and the Rockets and Astros.
He was a member of Saint Philip Presbyterian Church in Houston for more than 50 years, serving as a church deacon during the 1970s where he was responsible for overseeing church finances.
Brandenberger is survived by his wife of seven years, Betty O. Stone; his son Joel Brandenberger and daughter-in-law Susan Revello of Rockville, Md.; his daughter Evelyn Lea Brandenberger and her partner Mark Kellum of Chapel Hill, N.C.; his grandson Christopher Hillstrom and his wife Amber of Lubbock and four great-grandchildren.
He also is survived by his niece Sarah Brandenberger and her son Egan Epaldi of Boise, Idaho, as well as Betty’s son Ken Stone of Pleasanton, Calif.
He was preceded in death by his parents, his previous wife Betty McCauley Brandenberger and his brother Jerry Brandenberger.
The family will have a visitation from 6-8 p.m. Friday, October 19, at Earthman Bellaire Funeral Home at 4525 Bissonnet St., Bellaire, Texas, 77401. There will be a funeral service at 1 p.m. on Saturday, October 20, at Saint Philip, 4807 San Felipe, Houston, 77056. Interment will follow at Forest Park Westheimer Cemetery, 12800 Westheimer, Houston, 77077.
In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be made to Saint Philip or to the Breast Cancer Research Foundation.
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