Stephen Lee Braly

Stephen Lee Braly, 75, of Burleson, Texas passed away in his home on Friday, September 20, 2024. Steve was born in Blackwell, Oklahoma on October 2, 1948, and he was preceded in death by his loving parents, Eugene and Joyce Braly. Steve was the oldest of seven children, and is survived by his sisters Kathy (Gordon) Goodger, Barbara (Dan) Bell, Beverly (Steve) Wooderson, and brothers David (Maria) Braly, Michael (Leah) Braly, and Mark (Jana) Braly. 

Throughout the course of his life, Steve was married four times. His first and second marriages yielded three amazing kids: Lindsay (Stuart) Branine, Elizabeth Braly, and Benjamin (Hope) Braly, all of whom he was intensely proud of and loved very much. His last marriage also allowed him the opportunity to be a step-dad, a role he proudly played to Evan and Alex for many years. 

If you had a chance to talk with him about them, you’d know without a doubt, Steve could not hide his delight in being Papa to his five grandchildren: Alex (28), Aiden (19), Lauren (16), Weston (5), and Wyatt (4). He did his best to keep up with all of them, especially enjoying the chance to live close to the youngest of them, most recently. He even changed a diaper or two. 

He grew up in Blackwell, graduating Blackwell High School in 1966. He enjoyed singing in school and church choirs, earning solos, participating in quartets, and was selected for the “Maroon Singers” in high school. He was a member of local, state, and national honor societies. 

In 1966 and ‘67, Steve attended the University of Oklahoma in Norman, where he made lifelong friends and thoroughly enjoyed college life, especially the job he landed as a houseboy at a local sorority. Boomer Sooner! While there, he received the President’s Leadership Award and Scholarship. In 1972, he earned the Basic Certificate from the American Institute of Banking and in 1975, he completed the Intermediate School of Banking program at Oklahoma Bankers Association. In 1981, he completed the curriculum from the School of Banking at the South, a program at Louisiana State University. 

Steve had a tremendous career in the financial industry starting in 1971 as a security officer at Jefferson Bank in Lakewood, Colorado where he was quickly promoted to Assistant Cashier. Returning to Blackwell in 1973 for an opportunity to be closer to family, he joined Security Bank and Trust as Assistant Vice President and Installment Loan Officer and was later promoted to Cashier where he assumed all banking operation functions. As his experience progressed, in 1977, he was offered a position at Lakeshore Bank in Oklahoma City where he eventually became the President and Chief Operating Officer. In 1983, he became one of the founding operators of a consulting firm that helped various financial institutions raise more than $5 billion through their initial public offerings. 

He landed in his most well-suited and long-time professional role as a mortgage loan originator at Banker’s Financial in 1992, where he prided himself in helping countless people buy homes and established an astonishing network of professional colleagues, and several more lifelong friends. 

Steve was a very social person and an early-adopter of social media, which allowed him new avenues to maintain his uncanny ability to keep up with his friends and family. Especially in his later years, he prioritized regular contact with his prized friendships, regularly checking in on people, visiting often, even if it meant a road trip, which he thoroughly enjoyed, as it often led him back to Blackwell. 

He had a deep love of food and was an avid amateur chef who taught himself through constant perusal and collection of recipes, cook-books, and learning from others. If you had the chance to share a meal made by Steve Braly, we hope it involved bruschetta, Steve-burgers, or his homemade barbecue sauce. 

When we look back at Steve’s life, what we’ll most enjoy talking about at his untimely memorial is food, friends, and family. And to us, that means everything. He will be missed. 

There will be a gathering of family and friends at Ben and Hope's home directly following the service.

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