Ed Brandon

1942 - 2018

Winham Edward Branstetter
(Known to many as Ed Brandon)
1942-2018
Winham Edward (Ed) Branstetter, better known as KTRK-TV (Channel 13) weatherman Ed Brandon to millions of television viewers in Houston and surrounding counties, passed away peacefully on August 21, 2018.
The cause of death was congestive heart failure and complications arising from that condition. Ed had bravely and gracefully faced seemingly endless medical challenges and treatments following a heart attack and quadruple by-pass heart surgery in 2002. He was very thankful to all the doctors, nurses, and hospital and other medical personnel who were able to help him continue his normal activities and live in the house he loved until just days before his death.
Ed was born on December 11, 1942 in Texarkana, Texas, to Merle Edward Branstetter and Mary Sue Branstetter. His family moved from Texarkana to Waco to Austin, Texas, where he graduated from McCallum High School and studied Broadcast Journalism at the University of Texas. Following college, Ed returned to Texarkana and became a disc jockey and program director of KTFS-AM radio. Thus began a more than 50-year career in broadcasting, for which he had developed a passion when he was eight years old.
After stints at radio stations in Texarkana and Longview, Texas (where the station owner required him to broadcast as "Ron Riley" because Eddie Branstetter was "too many syllables for our Top 40 format"), Ed moved back to Austin in 1965. There he first adopted "Ed Brandon" as his on-air name, though he remained Ed Branstetter to his friends and Eddie to his family. He broadcast on both radio and television in Austin, doing talk shows, celebrity interviews, and, on occasion, weather forecasts at KHFI-TV. In 1972, he left Austin for Houston and joined KTRK-TV (Channel 13) as the weatherman, a position from which he retired in 2007.
Ed was a very active member of several AA groups, and has been credited by many men and women in the Houston area in the last 25 years for supporting them and helping them recover from drug or alcohol addictions. He has been a strong supporter of Cenikor, a leader in providing quality substance abuse and behavioral health services in its communities. Just last December, the 25th Annual Ed Brandon Cenikor Golf Tournament was held at Bay Oaks Country Club in Houston. He also served on the Advisory Board of the Houston Council on Alcohol and Drug Abuse.
Ed's understanding of addictions and his heart for helping others fight them arose from his own battle with a drug addiction. His recovery from that addiction began in 1989 and continued until his death. He loved throwing an annual "birthday" party each year for all his friends on the anniversary of the beginning of his recovery. The following quote taken from an interview Ed gave in 2007 gives an insight into how he emerged from the "absolutely most painful, embarrassing and horrifying experience" in his life with a desire to help others win their own battles over addictions:


"The person who appreciates being on the top of the mountain the most is probably the one who's been in the deepest valley. Maybe I can show somebody else that no matter where you are in life, it is possible to change. You can do it, and there are people who will help you do it. If I can use that example in my own life, just to help somebody else get the hope that it's possible to change, then I haven't wasted anything."


Ed is survived by his brother and only sibling, Burt Branstetter of Houston, Texas, Burt's wife Patricia, nephew Ben Branstetter, niece Larkin Branstetter Kipp, numerous loving cousins, his extended family at KTRK-TV (Channel 13), countless brothers and sisters in the Houston recovery community, and his dear cats, Lucy and Ethel.
There will be a memorial service and celebration of Ed's life at 2 p.m. on Saturday, September 1, 2018, at the Activities Center of the St. Luke's United Methodist Church, located at 3471 Westheimer Rd., Houston, Texas 77027.