Judge Dave Lee Brannon

Judge Dave Lee Brannon, 68, of Lake Clarke Shores, Florida passed away peacefully on May 18, 2021. He is survived by his beloved wife Dr. Pamela Tarquinio Brannon; his brother-in-law Christopher Tarquinio; his sister-in-law, Susan Tarquinio; and his niece, Gianna Rose Tarquinio. Judge Brannon was appointed as a United States Magistrate Judge on February 24, 2012. He was reappointed for a second term on February 4, 2020. He joined the Southern District of Florida Federal Public Defender’s Office in 1986 and served as Supervisor of the West Palm Beach office prior to being appointed to the bench. Prior to joining the Federal Public Defender’s Office, he served in the United States Coast Guard. During his years in the United States Coast Guard, his favorite assignment was aboard the USCGC Glacier

(WAGB-4), an icebreaker which took him to both the North and South Poles. His last Coast Guard assignment was with the Seventh Coast Guard District Legal Office and Intelligence Branch, in Miami, Florida, from 1980–

1986. Additionally, from 1990–2007, and again in 2009, Judge Brannon was an Adjunct Professor at Florida Atlantic University where he taught law related courses in Criminal Justice, Political Science, and Public Administration He graduated from the University of Miami School of Law in 1980 and from the United States Coast Guard Academy in 1975. Judge Brannon received many service awards and accolades over the course of his distinguished career. In 2002, he received the Exceptional Faculty Award from the FAU College of Arts and Letters on the J.D. MacArthur Campus in Jupiter, Florida. He served a term as President of the Palm Beach County Chapter of American Inns of Court. He also served as President of the Palm Beach County Chapter of the Federal Bar Association. He held the high honor of being a two-time Federal Bar Association Ryskamp Award recipient, once in his capacity as Supervisor of the West Palm Beach Federal Public Defender’s Office (2007) and again in his individual capacity as a United States Magistrate Judge

(2016). Judge Brannon was intelligent, kind, and gracious. He was devoted to his family, his country, and the rule of law. He was never shy about his love of serving the Federal Court and of his pride of having served in the United States Coast Guard and as an Assistant Federal Public Defender. His extraordinary achievements and altruistic contributions made this world a better place. He liked representing indigent people and found it classically American that the most indigent people could get some of the most experienced federal defense attorneys available via the Federal Public Defender’s Office – even if they were frequently unhappy about it at first. He loved having judicial law clerks and interns and imparted to them his vast knowledge of law, life, literature, and movies. One of his favorite pastimes was reading, and he encouraged others to dive into literature to learn about life. He genuinely liked attorneys and truly thought of them as his brothers and sisters in the law. He agreed that law was humankind’s greatest invention: other inventions gave us control of the physical world, law gave us control over ourselves.

From all those who loved him dearly, we wish him a fond farewell, fair winds, and following seas.

A memorial service and reception will be held Friday, June 25, 2021, at 3:00 p.m., at Quattlebaum Funeral, Cremation, and Event Center, 6411 Parker Avenue, West Palm Beach, Florida 33405. The service will begin promptly at 3:00 p.m. Refreshments will be served. Friends and family are welcome to attend in person. To ensure everyone’s safety, masks will be required. The service will also be live streamed.

Judge Brannon will be interred at the United States Coast Guard Academy in New London, CT.

The family requests that, in lieu of flowers, please consider a contribution in memory of Judge Brannon to one of the following organizations:

Cleveland Clinic Florida

Philanthropy Institute

2950 Cleveland Clinic Blvd.

Weston, FL 33331

Phone: 954.659.6238 https://my.clevelandclinic.org/giving

*Please designate your donation to: “Dr. Chakra Chaulagain’s Research Fund.“Donations will be accepted by phone, check, or website. If donating online, choose “Other” for the description, and enter this designation in the Notes section.

United States Coast Guard Academy Alumni Association

*Please designate your donation to:

Maritime Center of Excellence

Class of 1975 Fund

Phone: 860.442.2683 www.cgaalumni.org/mcoe

Please sign guestbook on www.sun-sentinel.com/obituaries