Claude P. BRAAFLADT's Obituary
Claude Philip Braafladt was born December 3, 1951, in Sacramento, Calif. The second of four sons to Philip and Jeane, Claude was raised in Sacramento and was always a natural leader. Since he was a December baby, he tended to be the oldest kid in his class and was described by teachers as the playground negotiator of Starr King elementary in Sacramento. While attending El Camino High School, Claude excelled in his pursuit of sports, participating in football freshman year and ranking CVC Cross Country champions his sophomore year. Throughout high school, Claude – along with his father Phil and three brothers Lou, Dave and Dan – were active in Boy Scouts, all achieving Eagle Scout. Claude took pride in bragging that while pursuing his Eagle Scout award he received the most palm awards of any of his brothers. He received his Eagle Scout award in 1969 and graduated from El Camino High School in 1970.
Following high school, Claude attended the Coast Guard Academy before transferring to California Polytechnic State University San Luis Obispo, graduating in 1976 with a bachelor’s degree in Engineering Technology (welding engineer). In his professional life, he worked his way up, starting as a welding engineer at FMC Corporation in 1977. He married Joan Ruxton in 1978 and his two children were born, Kevin (1982) and Kristi (1985). Claude would remarry in 2011 to Linda Ngai and would welcome Jeffery as his stepson.
Through his 41 years of working at FMC Corporation (Defense Division), United Defense and finally BAE Systems, Claude was named on several patents; he was dedicated to constantly improving any project on which he worked. Through his time as both an Armor Design Engineer and then the Ballistic Test Manager, he worked on U.S. Department of Defense projects such as the M113 Armored Personnel Carrier and the Bradley Fighting Vehicle.
Claude’s personal interests varied greatly – he was constantly tinkering with and making improvements to his house, car and basically everything he owned. Claude always had an interest in U.S. history, and in 2000 he became involved in Civil War reenacting at the insistence of his son Kevin. The hobby had an incredible impact on both their lives, creating lifelong friendships and a close bond between father and son. Claude was most recently serving as member of his beloved 2nd U.S. Artillery Battery E.
A cherished and loving family man, Claude is survived by his devoted wife of almost 12 years, Linda; son Kevin (Amanda); daughter Kristi (Tony); stepson Jeffery. He was a beloved grandfather to Alex, Theo, Abby, Oliva and Logan. He is also survived by his mother Jeane; brothers Lou (Debbie) nephews Philp and Erick and niece Lena; Dave (Robin) nephew Blake and niece Amy; and sister-in-law Toni nephew Ron and niece Lacy; as well as extended-family aunts Carolyn Brian and Naomi Hauge.
Family and friends are invited to attend a memorial service to celebrate Claude's life on Sunday, November 6 at 2:00 PM at Good Shepherd Lutheran Church, 1615 Morse Ave., Sacramento. His internment will be on November 8, at noon at Skylawn Memorial Park, Hwy 92 at Skyline Blvd., San Mateo, CA 94402.
Claude’s family would like to thank the staff and caregivers at El Camino Health Hospital for their compassionate care. In lieu of flowers, contributions can be made in Claude's name to the Prostate Cancer Foundation.
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