Paul Anthony Braunger

Paul A. Braunger, 87 of Sioux City, passed away on Thursday, November 9, 2023.  A Mass of Christian Burial will be at 10:30 a.m. Thursday, November 16, 2023 at Holy Cross Parish, Blessed Sacrament Catholic Church with Father Peter Nguyen as Celebrant.  He will be laid to rest at Calvary Cemetery immediately following.  Visitation will take place on Wednesday, November 15th at Meyer Brothers Colonial Chapel from 4-8pm with family present from 6-8pm with a Prayer Service beginning at 7pm Wednesday evening.   A celebration of life will take place at the Sioux City Country Club at 12:30pm on Thursday afternoon. All who know him are invited as he no doubt will be there with us in spirit to make sure we do it right. In lieu of flowers we encourage those interested to contribute to the charity of their choice and to continue to support his love of the community.  Online condolences may be offered to the family at www.meyerbroschapels.com

On May 25^th, 1936 Sioux City welcomed a new baby boy to the community. He would be named Paul Anthony Braunger and would be the first son to Paul and Marie Braunger and a grandson of Anton Braunger, founder of Braunger’s Foods. Braunger’s Foods, a local institution that has proudly served the Siouxland community for nearly 150 years.

                He touched the hearts of so many he met. From his early days at what was then called Blessed Sacrament, to his time at Bishop Heelan High School, and for the rest of his 87 years of life serving this amazing community that he loved so much.

                He was a member of the Masonic and Tyrian Lodge #508, Abu Bekr Shrine, Captain of the White Horse Mounted Patrol, a past director of the Royal Order of Jesters: Court #124, President and owner of Braunger Food Service, a real estate developer, a past member of the Rotary club, a member of the Business Leaders’ Club, and member of the finance committee at Blessed Sacrament.

He was an amazing business leader. He had such a natural ability to put people in an incredible position to succeed. Those who he worked with knew him as tough, but fair. He gave people opportunities to do great things and he had an amazing record of developing talent.

                He was a loyal and supportive friend to so many it would be near impossible to list them all. He shared in all his friends’ triumphs and losses. Preceding him in death will be some of the greatest characters to ever be in someone’s life story.

                He adored his parents and his brothers and sisters. When asked what his favorite pastime in his youth was he simply said working with his dad, grandfather, and uncles. He genuinely loved to work. He stood with, and held his father as he worried about two of his sons, Bart and Bill, serving in Vietnam.

He was a loving husband and father. His family was the most important thing in his life. God tested his character early, blessing him with his first daughter Antonia at the tender age of 18. He would go on to adopt a daughter Theresa and a son Danny. He later had another daughter, Brigitte, his baby girl. While his first marriage (Marjorie Swanson) ended, his character must have impressed the Lord as he would go on to meet Mary, the love of his life and married her February 15, 1983 in St. Thomas V.I.. At 48 he experienced another test. He would become a father again as Beau was born, and at the age of 51 he had another son, Jake.

He loved to ride motorcycles and attended the Sturgis motorcycle rally many times. His love of motorcycles and serving his community led to his heavy involvement in the creation of Awesome Harley Nights, an event where donations went to the benefit of children who suffered severe burns.

He loved to golf and participated in countless tournaments around the city over the decades. He even would host Braunger Food Service golf tournaments with staff and customers.

In his youth, he loved to box when that was still permitted in the Catholic school systems. He was a Golden Glove champion and allegedly knocked a priest out of the ring and under a table during a sparring session. We pray the Lord go easy on him as they were short on competitive fights at the time.

                He loved jokes, especially when he was the one who got to tell them, otherwise someone else might get them wrong.  We would share some with you, but most of them were “not appropriate”.

                He was a true believer in investing in his community. He was instrumental in helping bring the first gambling boat to the city, the Sioux City Sue. Besides the expansion of the Braunger’s Food Service operation he developed apartments, houses, and helped bring additional businesses to the community.

                When asked where he would like to go, anywhere in the world, if time and money were not an issue, he had a simple answer… Okoboji. He had a house in Terrace Park before moving to his favorite spot in Haywards Bay, where he could always watch the sunset. He loved it so much he hand-built the entire second floor with the help of a few family members and friends. He moved his bedroom multiple times over the 30 years, always seeking to find the perfect sleeping place close to the water. He loved driving boats. He had 5 “BoJake” Cobalt boats over the years and nobody but him could ever touch “Paul’s Woody”.

Paul will be missed by his wife Mary, sons Beau and Jake, daughters Antonia, Theresa, and Brigitte, sisters Jane and Joan, brother Bill, grandchildren Ryan, Spencer, Fallon, Amelia, Chloe, Brielle, Bellany, and Briggs. He will also be missed by Craig, Jamie, Falconer, Brandy, Yenni, Irene, honorary son Bill Smutzler, nephews, nieces, Godchildren, cousins, and friends. He is welcomed into death by his beloved parents Paul and Marie, his brothers Bart and Tony, sisters Annette and Barbara, self-declared and loved “favorite cousin” Greg Cabana, his loving grandparents, great friends such as Jack Wisner, Pat Black, Fred Mersch, and so many others.

                Some will remember him as a titan of industry. Others may view him as a scion of the Braunger family. His friends will remember him as a man of great integrity. His wife will remember him as the love of her life. His children will remember him as an amazing father. He would say he lived a lucky life, but we think we are all so lucky to have known him.