Kimberly Braten

1956 - 2020

KIMBERLY BRATEN Kimberly Hilma Davis Braten was born on June 30th 1956 in Sacramento, CA to Dorothy Ann Billings Davis and William Davis, and spent the first 13 years of her life in construction villages in the Sierra foothills while her father worked on California Water Projects. She had fond memories of exploring nature and playing with her siblings George, Crystal, and John, riding her pony "Fudge" and attending classes in a one room schoolhouse. In 1969 her family moved to Martinez, CA, where Kim graduated from Alhambra High School. At 18, Kim had two goals: to be the first person in her immediate family to receive a college degree and to live in another country and travel. By 1980 Kim had done just that; graduating from Chico State University with honors in Dietetics while managing to slip in an 18 month hiatus to live and work in Amsterdam and travel to 14 different countries in Europe. In 1981 Kim married James Braten, with whom she would spend 39 years. After a year and a half in Boston, where she interned at Harvard, and beginning her professional career in the San Francisco Bay Area, Kim and Jim moved to Chico, CA. In 1986 she gave birth to her first son Miles, and in 1989 to her second son Michael. In 1993 Kim made the choice to put her career on hold, opting to stay at home and raise her sons and help her husband with his business. Kim enjoyed everything about being a mother, always taking advantage of opportunities to expose her boys to new learning and life experiences. One of Kim's favorite sayings, which she always properly attributed to Mark Twain, was "Don't let schooling interfere with your education." She lived by this, insisting that her son's weekends and summers be filled with camping trips to the mountains, getaways to the coast, and vacations to various cities in the United States, Canada, and Mexico. Kim was a lifelong learner, always studying new subjects with a keen interest and desire to have a deep understanding. She had the uncanny ability to retain information and repeat it verbatim when called upon, but never took life too seriously. She always had a trick up her sleeve, a joke for anyone willing to listen, and her laugh was infectious. Kim's sphere of friendships was huge, and she never shied away from striking up conversation with strangers. It didn't matter what age or circumstance, she made friendships everywhere in life, and always stayed in contact with folks regardless of the distance and time separating them. Kim's ties to family were very important to her as well, and her Billing's family 4th of July gathering in Sacramento was rarely missed. In 2006 Kim suffered a debilitating stroke, and fought hard to regain her independence, which she did. She never wallowed in self-pity, always looked for a positive outcome, and remained interested in how she could be of service to others. She took pride and pleasure in being a part of her sons' educational and professional achievements, and despite her physical handicaps, traveled great distances to celebrate various milestones with them and other family members. In 2018 Kimberly suffered yet another severe stroke, which robbed her of many of the abilities that she had regained after her first stroke. She was not able to fully recover, but it never stopped her from making new connections and enjoying the company of her many friends, extended family members, and most importantly her sons. She passed away peacefully at home in the early hours of April 16th. Her family wishes to thank the many dedicated caregivers and medical professionals that helped Kim and would like to extend a special acknowledgement to the amazing Orthopedic and Cardiac Depts. at UCSF as well as a heartfelt thank you to doctors Jennifer Parrish and Danielle Harwood for their unending dedication and compassion. A celebration of life will be held at a later date. Arrangements entrusted to the Neptune Society of No CA Chico.