Michael Deane Branley

Michael "Mykey" Deane Branley, 52, of Kingman, Arizona passed away on April 16, 2026 of natural causes. He was born on April 22, 1973, in Colorado Springs, Colorado and lived a life that ran more or less from start to finish at full speed.

From the time he was small Michael was a daredevil. He loved Evel Knievel, loved anything fast, and was forever taking things apart just to see how they worked - a curiosity that stayed with him for the rest of his life. (His tools still ride along in his van.) His prized possession as a boy was his Kiss lunch box, an early sign of the music that would shape him. Kiss, the Ramones, and Motorhead remained his soundtrack for life.

As a teenager Michael became an exceptional BMX racer. During the family's years in Palisade, Colorado, weekends meant mini bikes and dune buggies with his Uncle Bob, who would load everyone into his Ford Bronco and head out four-wheeling in the hills outside Grand Junction.

When the family later moved to California, Michael fell in love with the Oakland Raiders - a loyalty held to the end, through every good season and every bad one. For a time, he lived with his sister Jana in the back woods of East Texas. He had a gift for people: easygoing, friendly, and so well-known by his nickname "California" that plenty of folks never knew his given name. He eventually made his way to Arizona to live near his beloved Uncle Bob.

In Phoenix, Michael was known as "Mykey" - he spent many years with a construction company that included an extended stretch of work out of the Phoenix airport. His best friend in Kingman, Arizona was Derrek Chromchak, and standing as best man at Derrek's wedding was one of the meaningful events of his life. The two of them spent countless hours four-wheeling outside Kingman, famously catching enough speed to get all four tires off the ground - still very much the kid who once loved Evel Knievel.

He is survived by his parents, John Thomas Branley and Katherine (Kathy) White Branley; and his sister Jana Marie Branley. He was preceded in death by his brother Ryan Jacob Branley and his maternal Uncle Robert (Bob) White.

Michael lived loyally, loved loudly, and never lost his taste for the throttle. He will be deeply missed by those who knew him - by all his names.