Daniel Joseph Braun
Daniel Joseph Braun, MD, beloved son of Dr. William E. and Maire Shaughnessy Braun, grandson of the late John and Mary Braun and the late Paul and Martha Shaughnessy, born December 17, 1962, in the District of Columbia, died September 29, 2016, in Kailua on the island of Oahu, Hawaii.
He was the devoted father to Daniel Elder, Joseph Montgomery, and Samuel Shaughnessy Braun through his previous marriage to Sarah Montgomery (Schutte). Dear brother of William M. (Kathleen Coffey), John T. (MD) (Frances Kelleher), Paul E. (Michelle Richards), Mary Leibold (Robert) and Julie Haines (Thomas). Loving uncle of Hayley, Caitlin, Anna, Cally, Tatum, Walter, William, Quinn, Shea Braun, Matthew Leibold, Luca and Colette Haines. He was a graduate of Hawken School (1981), Xavier University (1985, Summa Cum Laude) and Cornell Medical School (1990, 2nd in class) where he also inaugurated the Cornell Medical School Triathlon Club. His internship was at Queen’s Hospital in Honolulu where he fell in love with Hawaii, its people and the ocean.
After serving in the Air Force (1991-1995) in Little Rock, Arkansas, he returned to Oahu where he founded the successful Braun Urgent Care in Kailua. Before any national health insurance existed in the United States, Dan established his Kailua Plan that was simple, single level, half-priced visit for the uninsured that was “high enough so people don’t abuse it but cheap enough if they need it.” (Interview in Honolulu Magazine April 2005) He worked long hours seeing 60-70 patients daily for many years. He loved his patients, and they loved his skilled and heartfelt care as part of his ohana (family). Stories from Dan’s patients came as “Remembering Dan Braun-Stories of Aloha” found on-line. For the underprivileged, at risk youth in Kailua the costs of martial arts training were subsidized by Dan who also donated land on the island of Molokai to the youth outdoor learning program “Wild Kids”. Free-diving in the ocean off his catamaran with three sons, surfing, regular open ocean swimming, mixed martial arts, and long distance running and hiking dominated his non-professional life until the last few years following a severe spine injury in motocross cycling. He was so motivated that he still managed to become a certified yoga instructor. He sought fulfillment and peace for himself and others. We will miss him unbelievably.
In lieu of flowers, and in his memory, contributions can be made to Doctors Without Borders (Nobel Peace Prize 1999) 333 7th Avenue 2nd floor New York, NY 10001-5004. Doctorswithoutborders.org
Visitation will be at Steinbauer Funeral Home 33375 Bainbridge Road, Solon, OH on Friday, October 28 from 4-8 pm. There will be a memorial mass at 11:30am the next morning, Saturday, October 29th at Church of the Resurrection, 32001 Cannon Road, Solon, OH followed by a luncheon at the church.
A paddle-out ceremony in the Hawaiian tradition will be held near Kailua at a future date. There will also be a Memorial Mass at St. Anthony’s of Padua Church in Kailua.