Terry Braverman

After spending much of his life on stage, on camera, on air, behind a microphone, or emceeing events, the final curtain closed for Terry Wayne Braverman on March 6, 2025, with his loving and loyal wife at his side. Over his 86 years on this planet, Terry lived out an exuberant, adventurous, and joy-filled existence, and leaves a poignant mix of sorrow and gratitude for those who knew him. Terry is survived by his wife of 51 years, Gail Mackay Braverman; his children, Doug (Michele) Morris, of Minneola, Florida, Christopher (Jayne) Braverman, of Lansing, Michigan, and Lindsey (Stephen) Braverman Spiess, of Millis, Massachusetts; his grandchildren, Mariah, Nathaniel, Bradley, Alexis, Taya, and Naomi Morris, Heidi and Samantha Braverman, and Ayla and Annabel Spiess; and great-grandchildren Xavian and Bradley (Jr) Morris, and Amaris and Amisa Aminu. Terry was born in Muskegon, Michigan on November 25, 1938, the only child of Herman ("Hy") and Imagene (Bloemker) Braverman. As a young man, he frequently spent time visiting family in Indiana, where his grandfather ran a drug store and soda counter in the small town of Rome City. He graduated from Muskegon High School in 1956, distinguishing himself as a standout tennis player and active communicator in the school's theater program and newspaper. He traded the shores of Lake Michigan for the banks of the Red Cedar River to begin his collegiate career at Michigan State University. He thrived in MSU's large and diverse environment, becoming active in student life at Bryan Hall, fraternity life as a member of Delta Tau Delta, and in the pursuit of his career passion, a degree in Radio and Television from MSU's then-fledgling College of Communication Arts & Sciences. He graduated in 1960 and quickly set off on a whirlwind series of jobs at news stations across the country, with stops in Honolulu, Hastings (Nebraska), Traverse City (Michigan), and Fort Wayne (Indiana). But for Terry, all roads inevitably led back to East Lansing, and in 1964, he returned to MSU to begin working at WKAR, the campus radio and television station. His roots grew fast and deep, and in some capacity, he was an employee of MSU for the next 56 years. During that time, he was also the chief athletics fundraiser for 28 years, a sports broadcaster, announcer, television and radio personality, and the de facto "Master of Ceremonies" for virtually every significant MSU athletics pep rally, tailgate, bowl trip, banquet, parade, or other event (in his later years, he even added the Detroit Lions PA to his resume). If that wasn't enough, he cemented his Spartan legacy when he uttered the words "It's a beautiful day for football!" on a dreary East Lansing Saturday. That phrase has become a gameday staple and point of pride for Spartans everywhere. While Terry was a fixture of the MSU sports landscape, he also crafted a beautiful family life outside of his public-facing roles. Those origins can be traced to the fall of 1969, and a chance encounter on campus with an intrepid young writer named Gail Mackay. At that time, Gail was working for MSU's Department of Information Services and had just published a feature story on the incoming president, Clifton Wharton. Terry ran into her and her boss at lunch, introductions and small talk were made, and the rest, as they say, is history. Terry immediately bonded with Gail's young son Doug, who (at 9 years old) stood in the wedding party when they were married at the People's Church in East Lansing in 1973. The trio moved to Haslett, on Lake Lansing, where they remodeled a small summer cottage and made it into their forever home. Several years later, after acutely experiencing the heartaches that can come from trying to expand a family, they welcomed son Christopher and, two years later, daughter Lindsey, into the world. For decades, their home was filled with pets, games, movies, family visits, friends, poker nights with "the boys," intense "foosball" matches and driveway games of H-O-R-S-E, and so many celebrations of their collective life milestones. While Terry lived much of his professional life in the public eye, he remained intensely private in his personal life. Unsurprisingly, then, the call of northern camping and wilderness resonated with him as a perfect outlet for being "off the grid." Each summer, both before and after he met Gail, he traveled to northern Ontario to fish, swim, pick berries, stargaze, and just be away. As fate would have it, in the summer of 1984, they learned that a rustic cabin on a nearby lake had become available. They didn't hesitate to buy the property and "The Cabin" immediately became (and still is) the family's most treasured place for vacations, reunions, and memory-making moments. To honor Terry's legacy, its exact location cannot be disclosed, but it was there, sitting by a fire or in his old fishing boat (with a motor that may or may not start), wearing his grubby clothes or having "cocktail hour" on the deck, perhaps with his favorite Sinatra album playing in the background, that we know he truly found peace. It is a unique thing, indeed, to build a life that blends one's passions, interests, and talents into not only a career, but a way of living. Terry somehow pulled it off. The undersized kid from Muskegon, who loved theater, performing, people, sports, television, and radio managed to spend nearly his entire life involved in all of those things. To paraphrase what was perhaps his favorite song, the record will show he lived a life that was full, traveled each and every highway, and through it all, he did it his way. Terry's immediate family will hold a private ceremony near his home in The Villages, Florida on Monday, March 17 to honor and celebrate his life. But they will also be planning a larger gathering in the East Lansing/MSU area to be held later this year, befitting his Spartan legacy, and will share those plans when they are made. Arrangements entrusted with BALDWIN BROTHERS Funeral & Cremation Society-Spanish Springs, 352-430-1449. Sentiments are encouraged at www.baldwincremation.com.