Obituary of Donald Braden
The family of Donald Braden of Ituna, beloved husband of the late Audrey, sadly announce his passing on June 15, 2026. He was 85 years of age.
A Family Graveside Service will be held at a later date.
Donald Leonard Braden was born on August 12, 1940, on the Braden Family Homestead south of Ituna to John and Julie (Shubaly) Braden. Don was the eldest of 7 children.
Don met Audrey Jankoski early on in life and the two were married on September 1, 1962. They began their life together in Regina where Don began a career in industrial construction. While in Regina they welcomed three sons: Curtis, Calvin and Claire. They moved to Ituna in 1968 so Don could begin his dream of helping farm the family land. In that year they also welcomed their first daughter Carla and rounded out their family with their second daughter Camille in 1970.
Don’s passion for farming continued to grow and they decided to move from Ituna out to the farm. They swapped houses with Don’s parents and settled on the Braden Family Homestead and made it their lifelong home.
Don’s love of farm life kept him actively pursuing it until his passing. Last fall at the age of 85, he ran the combine across all of his and his son Claire’s crops. There was never a brighter smile than Don’s during harvest. This spring was the first time he did not actively seed his land, but he was right there to give Claire a hand with whatever was needed to get the crop in.
Don enjoyed coaching hockey and spent many winters coaching his son’s teams. Throughout his life he spent many hours in the winters watching local hockey. He loved to visit people at the rink. He also enjoyed curling and was a fixture in the local club for many seasons. In his later years he spent and enjoyed many hours watching sports on TV with his favorites being basketball and curling.
Don loved his family fiercely and felt comfort in their presence. He loved the holidays when everyone gathered at the farm. He kept in touch religiously with his children, calling them often to chat and see how they were doing. He enjoyed attending many of his grandchildren’s events as they were growing up; dancing, basketball, football, hockey, curling, he enjoyed them all. In the latter years of life, he was a devoted caregiver to his wife, Audrey as her health declined and since Audrey’s passing in January of 2024, his zest for life slowly diminished and he longed for the comfort of being with her once again. He found it so difficult to move forward without her by his side.
Don was predeceased by his loving wife of 61 years, Audrey, and leaves to mourn his passing and to celebrate his life, three sons, two daughters, ten grandchildren, and one great granddaughter: Curtis and Susan Braden, Samantha (Josh), Madison; Calvin and Debbie Braden, Taylor (Colton), Joel, Jesse; Claire and Diane Braden, Bailey (Jace) Schellenberg and their daughter Maisy, Hannah; Carla and Terry Mandziak, Holly (Maxwell), Lauren (Max); Camille and Reid Lozinski, Tristen, and special fur baby Rosie who adored grampa as much as he adored her.
Arrangements have been entrusted to Bailey's Funeral Home and Cremation Care.
