David O. Branham

David O’Hara Branham, 81, of Minden passed away on Thursday, July 24, 2025, at CHI Health – Good Samaritan Hospital in Kearney. Family funeral services were held at the Westminster United Presbyterian Church in Minden with Rev. Sharon Rees officiating. Private family inurnment will be held at a later date at Liberty Cemetery, north of Minden. Memorials are kindly suggested to St. Jude Children’s Hospital, Westminster United Presbyterian Church of Minden, Nebraska, or Paws Up Kearney County. Craig Funeral Home in Minden is assisting the family. David O’Hara Branham was born in Ashland, Kentucky, to Dr. Charles Graham Branham and Phyllis Joyce Creech. He grew up in the Blue Grass area of Kentucky and attended school in Frankfort. He earned a Masters degree in Public Administration at Kentucky State University. He was married first to Patricia June Tuttle and their children were Kimberly Lynn Branham and David O’Hara Branham (Beck), Jr.; they lived many places during David’s military service but ultimately landed in Nebraska. When this union dissolved David returned to Kentucky, where he married Nancy Dunstal. They moved to Texas, where their marriage eventually dissolved. David then met the love of his life, Sarah Lynn Daniel Ryan, to whom he remained married for forty years. David was stationed in many locations while serving in the United States Air Force during the Vietnam War. That experience ignited his lifelong love of travel. His work as an administrator and manager led him from Texas to California. A favorite activity of David and Sarah was rambling in car trips and traveling to foreign countries as often as possible. David loved history, so his move from California to Nebraska gave him a greater opportunity to study the history of the West. In his younger years David was an avid bird hunter and fisherman, especially fly fishing. He was a crack shot and won several skeet shooting competitions. David’s sense of humor and good will won him many friends. He loved nature and animals, especially his pet dogs. He was predeceased by his daughter, Kimberly Lynn (Branham) Payne, brother, Michael Graham Branham, and sister, Joyce Lynn Branham. Those left to cherish his memory include his wife, Sarah Lynn Daniel Ryan of Minden, Nebraska; son, David O’Hara Branham-(Beck), Jr. and wife Dena Rae Beck of Minden, Nebraska; niece, Rachel Ann Young of Owingsville, Kentucky; and three granddaughters and one grandson. Tributes and memories can be shared with the family at www.craigfunerals.com.

David O. Branham

February 5, 1944 - July 24, 2025