Joe Brann, 67, died Sept. 18, 2019 of mesothelioma and related complications at his South Portland home. 

He was born April 12, 1952 in Portland, Maine, a son of Dorothy Judith Rolfe Brann and William Henry Brann. He attended South Portland schools and, except for several brief periods, lived his entire life in that city, stating that he never wanted to live anywhere else.

As a young man he worked at the South Portland shipyard, and then as an independent designer/builder; for the last 25 years he was a valued employee of Furniturea, where he created programs for the design and construction of fine furniture.  

Joe could not help doing a thing well, and very few mortals could do a thing as well as he could.  He was a careful observer, a skilled drawer of plans, and a deliberate worker.  His instinct for quality, proportion, color, and utility was unimpeachable, and once he did a thing it never needed to be re-done. 

From the time he was 15 until recently, Joe played bass in various area rock bands, and he loved both the music and the camaraderie of late nights in intimate music clubs. He spent many younger years at the family cottage on Capitol Island in Boothbay Harbor, and enjoyed being on the water; several weeks before his death, his brother John made possible a last turn around Portland harbor in the Boston Whaler. Joe treated his cats as fellow travelers through life, and nurtured injured, lost, and trapped foxes, raccoons, skunks, and possums like a doting parent.  

Joe is survived by his loyal friend of 31 years, Rosemarie de Angelis, and his cat Gilligan, both of whom provided unstinting care and support throughout his illness. He is also survived by his sister, Elizabeth Brann Burns of Falmouth, Maine, her husband George Burns, and their children Michael Burns and Abigail Burns Patterson; his sister, Mary Louise Brann Carlson of Bozeman, Montana, her husband David Carlson, and their sons Gus Carlson and Sam Carlson; his brother, John Henry Brann of Yarmouth, Maine and his fiancee Kathryn Bouchard Oliver; his aunt, Joan Rolfe; cousins Thomas Rolfe, Christopher Rolfe, and Katherine Rolfe; four great-nephews and one great-niece.