Quirin E. Braam

It is with great sadness and fond memories that the family of Quirin E. Braam announce his passing on Thursday, July 25 at the age of 75. Quirin was preceded in death by his mother Dolores (Petelle), father Quirin J. Braam and his wife Jeanne (Memmel). A loving husband, father, grandfather and brother; Quirin is survived by his wife Jane (Boyce); children Pamela (David) Kaminski, Bonnie Rosenmeier (Mark Hanson), Barbara (Steven) Corsi, Peggy (John Slavney), Nancy (Gregory Hyman), Michael (Kylie), Katie (Jacob) Rabas; step-children Jenifer (Gaidosh) and John (Jaclyn) Gaidosh. He was a proud Grandpa to Daniel Gaidosh, Jacob Rosenmeier, Sarah & Mark Kaminski, Ashton Gaidosh, Elizabeth Hanson, Maria & Tony Corsi, Tayla Braam, Lila Rabas, Gavin Braam, Adeline Rabas, Emmylou Gaidosh, Augustine Rabas, and Maggie Jane Gaidosh. Quirin will be forever remembered by his brother, Peter (Carol) and sisters, Karen (Dale) Nook, Mary (Art) Lahey, Michelle (Greg) Matysik, as well as by his numerous nieces, nephews, extended family and dear friends. Quirin was born on November 23, 1943 to Dolores and Quirin J. Braam in Milwaukee, WI. The oldest of five children, Quirin attended St. Francis Minor Seminary for high school. He met Jeanne (Memmel) while attending the seminary and she forever changed the trajectory of his life. He was married to Jeanne for 38 years before her premature passing in mid-life. Quirin was blessed to find love a second time in his life as he met and married Jane (Boyce) in 2008. He welcomed the addition of Jane’s children and grandchildren and his love grew to include them in his family. Early on while juggling more than one job and supporting his growing family, he attended UW Milwaukee and graduated with a degree in business finance. Quirin was hired to manage the credit union for the employee-owned Journal Communications newspaper and eventually became President. At the Journal Credit Union, he fulfilled a 40 year career. He often noted that he never worked a day in his life as his work was his passion. As a result, Quirin served on several credit union organizational boards and was influential in many areas within the credit union industry. He served as Secretary and Chairman of the Wisconsin Credit Union League, a director of the Credit Union National Association, Chairman of the Wisconsin Credit Union Shared Service, and Board Member of the Wisconsin Credit Union Review Board. Quirin was a devout Catholic and was recently active in the ministries of St. Catherine of Alexandria Parish and St. Vincent De Paul Society. Earlier in life he served on the Holy Apostles Parish council. Through his veneration of Mary, mother of Jesus, Quirin traveled several times to Medjugorje to witness her presence in that community, the last being with his wife Jane. These visits further deepened his faith and desire for his family to live spiritually. Quirin found time to pursue a few hobbies. He was a runner and raced in many community fun runs. His proudest accomplishment was running annually in the first 14 years of the Milwaukee LakeFront Marathon. He was dedicated to yard work and kept a meticulous landscape at his home of 40+ years in New Berlin, WI. In keeping with the value of family, Quirin treasured creating memories on vacations and travel. He would take his children camping in the summer where he mastered the craft of digging trenches around the tent as fate would provide heavy rains more often than not. When his oldest, Pamela, graduated from high school he took the family on an epic three week tour of the north eastern part of the United States. It’s not clear how he kept his patience intact while keeping the peace between all his daughters and a son with a broken arm. Looking back, we have many wonderful memories of those travels. He was able to travel more later in life with Jane. They built fond memories and filled their time to the maximum. It was wonderful to listen to his laughter as he and Jane exchanged lighthearted humor about their experiences. One of Quirin’s greatest legacies will be the importance of family and the close connections he forged between all of us. A family gathering wasn’t complete until he was able to give a prayer of gratitude for the many blessings we all shared. The most important of which was our love and loyalty for each other. It was common for him to get choked up when he led a prayer expressing his genuine gratitude and love for God and those around him. It is with special gratitude that we thank Dr. David Grambow, M.D., FACC for his years of medical and spiritual support and guidance. Quirin especially trusted Dr. Grambow’s expertise and appreciated having him by his side throughout his various medical complications. Arrangements are being handled by Pagenkopf Funeral Home in Oconomowoc. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations to St. Catherine of Alexandria Catholic Church or the American Diabetes Association. We invite family and friends to join us in a Celebration of Life to honor and pay tribute to Quirin. Thursday, August 29 at St. Catherine of Alexandria Catholic Church Visitation from 9:00-11:00am, Mass directly following at 11:00am Saint Catherine of Alexandria Catholic Church W359 N8512 Brown St, Oconomowoc, WI 53066