William Harold Braudrick

1942 - 2025

Braudrick, William Harold

September 4, 1942 - January 1, 2025

William Harold Braudrick "Bill" passed away peacefully on New Year's Day 2025 in his home of the past 50 years. He was born September 4th 1942 to Charlie and Alice Leah (Morrow) Braudrick in Shady Grove, Oklahoma, a small rural community near Checotah. As a youth he was called Harold by all those who knew him. As an adult he went by Bill. After his first grandchild was born in 1996 he became Grandpa for the rest of his life.

Bill graduated from Checotah High School in 1960 and joined the US Army that fall after driving to California via Mexico with some buddies to spend time with relatives in Bakersfield. After completing basic training he was stationed in Echterdingen, West Germany at the Stuttgart Army Airfield Base where he met his future wife Rosemarie Heinze while delivering mail on the base. He had the opportunity to return to Germany many times during his life and always enjoyed his time there immensely.

After being honorably discharged in November 1963 he completed the immigration paperwork to have Rosemarie legally come to the United States and they married in February 1964 and moved to Tulsa. He soon became a letter carrier with the US Postal Service and worked there until he retired in 1992 at the age of 50 when he took early retirement. He was also the Shop Steward for the National Association of Letter Carrier's local branch for many years, a position he was made for as he liked to fight for the underdog.

Bill and Rosemarie had their first child, a daughter, in 1969. A son followed in 1973. Grandchildren came in 1996 and again in 1998. He became a great grandfather in 2021 and again last September. Even in the throes of his illness he tried to interact with and keep his great-grandchildren entertained when he saw them.

After retirement he spent time traveling with his wife and son and got the opportunity to visit many places in and outside of the United States including New Zealand and Europe. He was a huge fan of Sooner football and the sport of golf and liked to talk about the glory days of Bud Wilkinson coaching OU. His favorite golfer was Lee Trevino. He also spent a lot of time working outdoors especially digging up multitudes of rocks on the property and relocating them to other parts of the yard for landscaping purposes. He built two storm cellars on his own neither of which anyone wanted to go into during a tornado warning. Bill's other pastimes included watching and betting on horse racing, boating/fishing/waterskiing at various lakes and playing pool, a skill he acquired as a boy hanging out in bars way before he should have. As an adult he was known at various pool halls and bars throughout Tulsa as "Postman Bill."

He often saw the humor in things and liked to tell jokes. He got his quick wit and sense of humor from his father Charlie and his grandfather John Morrow. Throughout his life he was a storyteller and kept younger family members entertained talking about his childhood experiences growing up in the 1940s and 50s. He and his friends were quite the pranksters always looking for ways to pull one over on each other. Bill also enjoyed talking politics and watching various political commentary shows on Sunday mornings. He was a lifelong Republican, but hadn't voted for one since Barry Goldwater in 1964.

He was a unique and interesting person who will be greatly missed. He is survived by his wife of 60 years, Rosemarie, daughter Nicole Chatron (Bill), son Brian Braudrick, granddaughters Leah and Olivia Chatron and great granddaughters Hattie and Charlee. He is also survived by his older sister Charlene Sulphur of Eufaula.

His ashes will be interred at Ft.Gibson National Cemetery. Private family services are planned for a later date.