Elizabeth "Liz" Ann (Haas) Brannen

Liz Brannen was born on January 14, 1950, to Verna Ruth and Daniel Haas in Dallas, TX. She passed away Monday night, April 17, 2023, at 73-years-young. In 1976 she married Mark Dombroski, and one year later, gave birth to her first son, Alex Dombroski; the three lived in Dallas for years, until Liz and Alex moved back to Austin together. It was there that she first met the love of her life, Mike Brannen, whom she married in 1984. Liz and Mike have two children, Travis Brannen (37), and Megan Brannen (33); and of course, an extended set of children, Libby Neil, Natalie Braetorius, and Aaron Sims; she has two grandchildren, Xander and Adair Brannen.

She was the middle-child of 3 siblings, Danna Parsons was her elder sister and Gary Haas her younger brother. Liz has always been the glue that holds the family together, making regular calls to check in and hosting them for summer vacations and holidays.

After attending Catholic school in Dallas through high school, she was admitted to UT Austin, with a concentration in French. She was always incredibly gifted in language and accents, and even though she did not graduate from UT, she spoke fluent French and Spanish, and would consistently practice learning new languages with her ESL (English as a Second Language) students.

 Being incredibly bright, not having a college degree never stopped her from achieving. Shortly after leaving UT, she worked for Franklin Federal and during her tenure was promoted to Vice President of Franklin Federal Savings. She later went on to garner many titles, including the Deputy Director of the State Housing Agency of Texas, and IT Project Manager from EDS, and Dell. If you ask her coworkers, she continues to be universally admired and adored by all who worked with and for her.

When she retired, however, is when she developed her true passion: Art. Liz was a gifted vocalist and painter. She had an ear for music and was happy to take the lead, or the harmony, in any duet. She enjoyed painting chickens, sunflowers, and beautiful scenery – which thankfully she was surrounded by throughout her life.

It is well established that Liz had a unique talent for making others feel welcome. She was not judgmental nor pretentious, so no matter your background you always felt at home with her. Her laugh was boisterous and loud, and filled a room almost as much as her presence. It is safe to say that it wasn’t so much “You have to meet her to love her” but more so, “If you met her, you loved her.” She was a genuine and kind person, an incredible mother, a beautiful wife inside and out; the type of person that made you believe in the good in the world.

In lieu of flowers, please donate in Liz’s name to one of the following organizations:

KLZR (local radio station she loved), https://klzr.org/support-klzr/

Literacy Council (organization where she taught English), https://www.literacycouncilwilco.org/

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