NEIL BRAUN

Neil Timberman Braun, age 79, passed away at his home in Menasha, WI on Saturday, April 18, 2015. He was born on January 20, 1936 in Hamilton, OH, the son of the late Calvin and Margaret (Rich) Braun. Neil graduated from Hamilton High School in 1954 and married his high school sweetheart, Bonnie Nelson Braun, also from Hamilton, in 1958. The couple then moved to Fort Lauderdale, FL, where they lived for three years before moving back to Ohio in 1961. Neil was employed as a firefighter during his time in Florida. Neil attended the University of Cincinnati in the early 1960s, where he was elected Phi Beta Kappa, graduating with high honors and a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Economics in 1965. He then began his investment career at Central Trust in Cincinnati as an analyst and portfolio manager. In 1971, Jerry Schaper, a former colleague at Central Trust, asked Neil to join him as an investment officer at the Trust Department of the First National Bank of Neenah (later became Associated Bank). Neil accepted and moved to Neenah, WI, where he and his wife lived for the next 41 years, before moving to Menasha in 2012. Neil enjoyed a very successful career as an investment advisor at Associated Bank for 27 years where he served as Vice President and Director of Investments and then three years at North Star Asset Management, Inc. in Menasha, WI, where he was a Partner and Managing Director until his retirement in 2001. Neil earned the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) designation in 1978 and became known for his insightful presentations and articles on the economy and the investment environment. His leadership and mentoring of many young analysts led to an outstanding investment track record and national acclaim. In the late 1980s, he was proclaimed in one publication as the investment "Wizard of Neenah". Neil was also a pioneer in introducing international investments into client portfolios in the 1980s, leading him to negotiate an exclusive investment arrangement with the dean of international investing, Sir John Templeton. As much as Neil enjoyed the investment management business, nothing could top his love and respect for Bonnie, his wife of 56 years. They were truly devoted to each other. Neil also had a passion for reading, even when he was walking to work or to the library. He also participated in a number of sports including handball, racquetball, basketball, volleyball, tennis and running. For many years, Neil was almost a daily visitor to the Neenah-Menasha YMCA and loved the competition and comradery of his many good friends there. His appreciation for music led him to introduce a popular bluegrass group, The Inside Out Band, to the Fox River Valley area in the late 1970s. Neil was preceded in death by his wife Bonnie (January 2015) and by his nephew, Todd Nelson. He is survived by his brother-in-law Raymond "Jerry" Nelson of Fairfield, OH and by his half sister-in-law Nancy A. (Nelson) (Rhodes) Meiller and brother-in-law Jeff Meiller; former sister-in-law Eloise Burgland; nephew, John Nelson; and niece, Shawna (Greg) Boland and their children, Derek, Corrin, and Lafayette. He will be truly missed by his close friends Jeff & Jone Block and Ken & Jan Brusda and his devoted caregivers, Debbie, Linda, Christine, and Sue. A memorial fund has been established at the Neenah-Menasha YMCA, 110 W. North Water St., Neenah, WI 54956.