William Henry Branch

William Henry Branch, 86, of Winter Park, FL, beloved father, grandfather, great grandfather and brother passed away on January 19, 2025 surrounded by the love and company of his daughters. He was born on September 28, 1938 in Ocilla, Georgia to the late Milton Collins Branch and Foye Purvis Daniels. After graduating from Osceola High School in 1957, Bill enlisted in the U. S. Air Force. In the service, he trained as a meteorologist and served in the Pacific arena forecasting and staging military landings in Vietnam from Japan.

Following his service, Bill enrolled at Florida State University to earn his Bachelor of Science in Meteorology. At FSU, he was student body Treasurer, Senator, and joined the Pi Kappa Phi Fraternity where he began many cherished friendships that endured throughout his lifetime. In 1964, he met Joan Kohne at the altar of the wedding of a fraternity brother, where he was Best Man and she was Maid of Honor.

Joan and Bill married in 1965, and after graduation from FSU, they moved to Merritt Island, Florida. Bill worked with Pan Am World Airways at Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida as part of the corporate consortium that created the U.S. space program (NASA). He forecasted the weather for our nation's first manned rocket launches and calculated the site retrievals for rocket reentry and recovery missions.

On the forefront of computing technology, he earned a Master of Science in Mathematics from Florida Institute of Technology. In 1972, Joan and Bill moved to Orlando where Bill began his 30-year career in Computer Services and Telecommunications with the University of Central Florida. He advanced the computing age, from punch-card mainframes to digital computing; he implemented remote course registration, established one of the first on-campus computer stores and help desks in the country, and ended his esteemed career as Director.

Bill was a devoted family man carting his three girls around from swim meets to dance recitals to debate tournaments to football games, spending time at the beach teaching them to bait hooks, net crabs, and body surf the waves. He was an avid golfer and football fan, rarely missing the Noles or the Knights. Bill shared his passion for space, science, technology, and sport with his daughters and his beloved grandchildren.

He is survived by his three daughters, Beth Anne Cuda (Sean), Becky Branch-Trevathan (George), and Barb Ferguson (Scott), and his sister, Joann Pennington. He was so very proud of his nine grandchildren: Kacey Rowe (Kendall), Wade Cuda (Elizabeth), Caroline Cuda, Ben Branch-Trevathan, Will Ferguson, Libby Ferguson, Kate Ferguson, JD Ferguson, and Emma Ferguson. Bill lived to enjoy his one great grandchild, Luke Rowe, and celebrated one more on the way.

A memorial service will be held Sunday, January 26, 2025 at 2:00 p.m. at Winter Park Presbyterian Church, 400 S. Lakemont Avenue, Winter Park, FL 32792. A tree will be planted in Bill's honor at Winter Park Pines Golf Club. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to Winter Park Presbyterian Church.