Obit of Braden, Morse (b635) - Oklahoma County, Oklahoma Submitted by: Gene Phillips 18 Aug 2004 Return to Oklahoma County Archives: http://www.usgwarchives.net/ok/oklahoma/oklahoma.html ========================================================================== USGENWEB NOTICE Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm ========================================================================== MORSE BRADEN Published on November 19, 2003 The Santa Rosa Press Democratt Morse "Mo" Braden, a retired nuclear submarine skipper whose mission in recent years was voluntarily preparing the tax returns of scores of low- income Sonoma County seniors, died Friday at age 65. Braden was still volunteering and deep-sea fishing, a passion he pursued with the glee of a kid on his first boat ride, until he was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer three weeks ago. He was stout, round-faced and bald-headed -- not the classic image of a Navy officer -- but he patrolled the seas for years in command of a crew of 140 in a submarine armed with 16 Polaris nuclear missiles. Friends and relatives remember him as a master seaman with an analytical mind and the ability to become as tough as the situation required. "Mo Braden could do anything he put his mind to," said friend and fellow retired naval officer Roger Rowehl of Maui, Hawaii. Braden was born in Oklahoma City and grew up in Colorado. He went into the Navy in 1962 and served aboard several submarines during the Vietnam War and the Cold War before being awarded command of the USS Ethan Allen. He retired from the military in 1982 and moved to Santa Rosa with his late wife, Jan Braden. He went to work for PG&E at The Geysers. It was after retiring from PG&E that he volunteered with an AARP program that provides free tax-return preparation for seniors. He relished the challenge of solving his clients' tax problems, saying in a 2000 interview, "I feel I can always meet the challenge." If he wasn't completing tax forms, he was often fishing with buddy Al Yoxall of Forestville or doting on his two grandkids. One of Braden's two sons, Glen Braden of Hong Kong, said, "Not many sons know that their dads are great, but I knew it. And he knew that I knew." In addition to his son and grandchildren, Braden is survived by son Andrew Braden of Eureka and sisters Barbara Albrecht and Phyllis Padilla, both of Aurora, Colo. Graveside services are at 1 p.m. Thursday at Santa Rosa Memorial Park. A reception will follow at the Bodega Harbour Yacht Club. -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Return to Oklahoma County Archives: http://www.usgwarchives.net/ok/oklahoma/oklahoma.html