Paul Braafladt's Obituary
Paul Braafladt led a life of service to his Lord Jesus Christ and to his country.
On August 29th 1930 in Minot, North Dakota Paul Braafladt was born to Louis and Hope Braafladt. He was the youngest of their four boys. Shortly after his birth the whole family moved to North Sacramento, California. But in 1933 tragedy struck and Paul’s father unexpectedly passed away leaving Hope to raise four little boys all alone. But she knew two things; 1) the church was essential and the family was there practically every time the doors were opened. And 2) that her boys had to function as a team, and they did. They swam together, they played music together, they sang acapella harmony together, they picked fruit in the summer for pocket money together. They even had the same paper route from the Sacramento Bee passed down from one brother to the other. So it was no surprise that all four boys became Eagle Scouts. And this is where Paul’s life of service began.
After graduating from then Pacific Lutheran College Paul went on to study at Luther Theological Seminary in St Paul, Minnesota. And in May of 1956 he received his Master of Divinity. Two weeks later he married Esther (they were married for 64 years). And shortly after their marriage Paul joined the US Air Force. He served 3 years active duty and 24 years in the Washington State Air National Guard. 27 years total and serving as chaplain the entire time. It was an honor for Paul to combine his love of country and his devotion to his Lord.
The civilian side of Paul’s life had him pastoring four congregations in Washington State and one in Idaho. He continued his theological education from Berkeley, California to St Andrew’s, Scotland. There is no way of knowing how many sermons he preached or how many confirmation classes he held but it’s safe to say that his impact was felt far and wide and by thousands of people.
In 1993 Paul retired.....from the ELCA and from the military. Or so he thought. The Lord had more work for him to do. By October 2000 Paul was sitting on the Board of Trustees of the LCMC. He served two terms. He helped write the Constitution for the LCMC. He became the founding pastor of the Pacific Northwest District west of the Cascades. He became a certifier of pastors for the LCMC certifying more than 100 ministers. He installed more than 30 pastors. And he helped countless churches with their call process, never turning down a single church that asked him for help.
After Esther’s passing, Paul married Amy in October 2021. And though their marriage was not nearly long enough they were a blessing to each other.
Paul was a gifted theologian and he had the heart of a pastor. And he shared his talents up until the very last. Just two weeks prior to his death he preached a beautiful sermon and installed his very last minister. Wednesday night on October the 11th he went to sleep and on Thursday October 12th he was in the arms of his Lord and savior Jesus Christ. No doubt surrounded by everyone that he loved that had gone before him, his mother and father, all his brothers, and his first wife Esther.
Paul leaves behind his wife, Amy, two children, Peter and Carol, two grandsons, one great-grandson and lots and lots of nieces and nephews.
And he loved them all.
Paul Braafladt
8/29/30--10/12/23
What’s your fondest memory of Paul?
What’s a lesson you learned from Paul?
Share a story where Paul's kindness touched your heart.
Describe a day with Paul you’ll never forget.
How did Paul make you smile?
