Funeral service for Don Gene Branham, age 85, of Frederick, Oklahoma, will be at 2:00 p.m., Thursday, December 1, 2022, at the Jackson Funeral Home Chapel, 921 W. Gladstone Avenue, Frederick, with Rev. Les Banks and Rev. Pete Wylie officiating.  Burial with full military honors will be in the Frederick Memorial Cemetery under the direction of Jackson Funeral Home.  Mr. Branham passed away Monday, November 28, 2022, at his home.

Don Gene Branham was born June 12, 1937, in the Victory Community, east of Davidson to Joseph William and Mary Adell (Graham) Branham.  He attended school at Victory Consolidated #11, where he lettered in baseball.  He later graduated from Victory, with the Class of 1955.  He attended OU for a year where he served in the ROTC Program.  On December 26, 1956, he and Frankie Kay Keith were united in marriage at Bethel Baptist Church, east of Frederick.  Don was drafted into the United States Army where he served in Hawaii during the Vietnam Era. They returned to stateside, and he then furthered his education at OBU in Shawnee with a Bachelor's and Master's Degrees in Education.  He was later called up to the Army National Reserves.  Don taught at Del City High School in the same classroom for 25 years. Prior to his military retirement, he was stationed at Fort McCoy in Wisconsin where he helped write the regulation for the Army Chief Warrant Officer 5 position.  He retired on June 1, 1997, from the United States Army as a Chief Warrant Officer 4, after 31 years of service.

Don was a gentle giant who strived for a peaceful life.  He enjoyed fishing, working on Ancestry.com, and was an avid OU Football Fan.  Don was a man of God and had a deep and abiding faith.  He was a member of the First Baptist Church of Frederick, Oklahoma.

He is survived by his wife of 62 years, Frankie Branham of the home; one daughter, Kayla Ann Barczak of Lawton, Oklahoma; one son, Blake Keith Don Branham of Central High, Oklahoma; seven grandchildren, Nicholas Barczak, Maxwell Barczak, Julian Barczak, Destiny Branham, Shelbie Duncan, Jake Branham, and Rhiannon Branham; several great-grandchildren; two nieces, Karen Walker and Linda Sanford; two nephews, Doug Branham and Jerry Wayne Hunt; and many friends.

He was preceded in death by his parents, Bill and Adell Branham; one brother, Joe Branham; one sister, Joy Hunt; one granddaughter, Olivia Barczak; and one grandson, Tanner Branham.

Memorial contributions may be made to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, 262 Danny Thomas Place, Memphis, Tennessee 38105, in memory of Don Gene Branham.