If you're reading this profile, I'll assume that EITHER:
— 1) You came across one of the memorials I've created [-or "adopted"-] over the years & want to check out my skill-set/background... OR:
— 2) You are a fellow "Graver" & want to know more about the "grey-haired old guy" who sent you an edit suggestion on one of YOUR memorials.

In either case, here's some of my "backstory"; so you'll know a "wee bit" more about who you MIGHT be working with... "WHY I do what I do & WHY I say what I say!"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
NOTE: As you can see at a glance, my "profile" is long/detailed -- I've RARELY been called "succinct." — BUT, that said — everything I've included helps paint a "fuller picture" of the guy you're dealing with... 🫡
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I've chosen to use my full name here — rather than some "handle". I was named after my paternal/maternal grandfathers… & this site is about remembering & honoring REAL people (direct "kin" - &/or- those who "made a difference" in another's life).

That said, my friends (& most collaborators) typically just call me — "PJ"...

I'm now in my "mid-to-late-ish 70's" & still relatively active in RETIREMENT...
NOTE: I acknowledge some limited "adult supervision"
— provided by my "ChildBride" (of 55+ years.)

As a "well-seasoned" adult, I've had two "LIVES" — First = US Navy for 21 years {-1965 to 1986-} — retiring as a MCPO - aka "Master Chief" [E-9]; followed by 24 years of Washington state public service {-1986 to 2010-} — retiring AGAIN… this time, as a master training specialist & workplace learning/performance consultant [-COACH-].

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I've spent 30+ years researching family histories... my own, my wife's family & increasingly my military "brothers & sisters". I now volunteer my time & research skills as a genealogist with the Missing In America Project… [ https://www.miap.us ]

M.I.A.P.'s collaborative MISSION :
-o- locate unclaimed cremains currently "sitting on the shelf",
-o- verify if they were veterans who honorably served (&/or their dependents.) &
-o- if eligible, arrange for a burial with full honors in a State or National Veteran's Cemetery; a well-earned salute to their service — "It's the RIGHT thing to do!" 🫡
~~~~
An implied MIAP motto = NEMO RELICTUS — Latin for "no one left behind."
~~~~
If you got to this page by clicking on a MIAP — "Team Washington State" or MIAP — "Team Oregon State" - link on a "flower" placed on a Find-a-Grave memorial... "welcome aboard" — we're here to help. If you have ANY suggestions for improvement (or new data) regarding that person's memorial (i.e., the one who SENT you to me)… just"fire off" an e-mail with details, I'll work with you to make it better — ASAP!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
These days… given my age/physical restrictions; I primarily do the "on-line research" needed to find family links/life details to "fill-in-the-blanks" on existing memorials… which I've adopted from "fallen gravers" — to help ensure BOTH are remembered.

My Mom often said BOTH genealogy & life are best done as a T.E.A.M. [-Together Everyone Achieves More-] sport. So, I willingly collaborate with other "Gravers" to "flesh out" their memorials by adding researched details.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Many of the memorials I've created [or "adopted"] over the years are for members of my family trees. Most of the rest are my MILITARY "brothers & sisters-in-arms" (& their families); helping insure THEY & their sacrifices are not forgotten as time passes.

Whenever possible (i.e., if I find documentation), I work to create fairly detailed FAG memorials... with family links — so future researchers will get a more robust picture of who these folks WERE during their time here on earth (& the lives they touched).

I truly believe EVERY grave marker is calling out — to ANYONE walking by…
"Believe me — there IS a story here — CAN/DO YOU CARE enough to find it? "

In my heart, I know that to hold a meaningful memory of an individual, you need to know a bit more "about the dash" -- i.e., what happened to them (& those they loved) in the years "between their birth & death dates".

My heartfelt belief is EVERY individual/family has a "story to share"; a story that STARTS to become "visible" when you begin to examine where they came from AND where they lived & loved... even more "surfaces" when you examine what they did for a living & "HOW" they chose to live their lives over the years... what they believed & the values they held; i.e., "what guided them".

My goal in my FaG memorials is to tell-their-story - "as I understand it" — based on what I found in my research. I believe that if/when you begin to know their "story"; you will know more about "who they REALLY were". It's not always a happy or romantic story, but personal courage... when confronting life challenges {even the routine, "just-get-through-the-day" challenges} is a trait I admire.

Over time, I want to leave a trail of electronic "bread crumbs" on the Internet to help anyone researching these families. If you're related to someone on my list of memorials, feel free to contact me at the e-mail above & I'll share what I have on them. AND, if your relationship is closer to them than mine, I'm open to your transfer request... if you want to "finish telling their story." — JUST ASK for what you want…

I freely share ALL my researched data as a gift… no need for credit citation. 🫡

I do this as a heartfelt tribute to my mother {Jeanette Theresa (Fahnhorst) Braun, RN; 1926-2001} who taught her children key life skills by HOW she chose to live her life... "TAKE without forgetting & GIVE without remembering." -- [-Elizabeth Bibesco -]

All my SHARED data (in proposed "edit suggestions") comes from verifiable resources. But that said — if I send you a suggestion, since it's YOUR memorial, I encourage you to "cross-check" my inputs — since, I have made some typos in past edit suggestions. Also please continue your own research/"digging" — you may find something I missed... thus the adventure to better "tell-their-story" can continue!

"Don't cry because it's over; smile because it happened."
-- Theodor Seuss Geisel, {aka..."Dr. Seuss"} -- [1904–1991].
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

If you're reading this profile, I'll assume that EITHER:
— 1) You came across one of the memorials I've created [-or "adopted"-] over the years & want to check out my skill-set/background... OR:
— 2) You are a fellow "Graver" & want to know more about the "grey-haired old guy" who sent you an edit suggestion on one of YOUR memorials.

In either case, here's some of my "backstory"; so you'll know a "wee bit" more about who you MIGHT be working with... "WHY I do what I do & WHY I say what I say!"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
NOTE: As you can see at a glance, my "profile" is long/detailed -- I've RARELY been called "succinct." — BUT, that said — everything I've included helps paint a "fuller picture" of the guy you're dealing with... 🫡
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I've chosen to use my full name here — rather than some "handle". I was named after my paternal/maternal grandfathers… & this site is about remembering & honoring REAL people (direct "kin" - &/or- those who "made a difference" in another's life).

That said, my friends (& most collaborators) typically just call me — "PJ"...

I'm now in my "mid-to-late-ish 70's" & still relatively active in RETIREMENT...
NOTE: I acknowledge some limited "adult supervision"
— provided by my "ChildBride" (of 55+ years.)

As a "well-seasoned" adult, I've had two "LIVES" — First = US Navy for 21 years {-1965 to 1986-} — retiring as a MCPO - aka "Master Chief" [E-9]; followed by 24 years of Washington state public service {-1986 to 2010-} — retiring AGAIN… this time, as a master training specialist & workplace learning/performance consultant [-COACH-].

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I've spent 30+ years researching family histories... my own, my wife's family & increasingly my military "brothers & sisters". I now volunteer my time & research skills as a genealogist with the Missing In America Project… [ https://www.miap.us ]

M.I.A.P.'s collaborative MISSION :
-o- locate unclaimed cremains currently "sitting on the shelf",
-o- verify if they were veterans who honorably served (&/or their dependents.) &
-o- if eligible, arrange for a burial with full honors in a State or National Veteran's Cemetery; a well-earned salute to their service — "It's the RIGHT thing to do!" 🫡
~~~~
An implied MIAP motto = NEMO RELICTUS — Latin for "no one left behind."
~~~~
If you got to this page by clicking on a MIAP — "Team Washington State" or MIAP — "Team Oregon State" - link on a "flower" placed on a Find-a-Grave memorial... "welcome aboard" — we're here to help. If you have ANY suggestions for improvement (or new data) regarding that person's memorial (i.e., the one who SENT you to me)… just"fire off" an e-mail with details, I'll work with you to make it better — ASAP!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
These days… given my age/physical restrictions; I primarily do the "on-line research" needed to find family links/life details to "fill-in-the-blanks" on existing memorials… which I've adopted from "fallen gravers" — to help ensure BOTH are remembered.

My Mom often said BOTH genealogy & life are best done as a T.E.A.M. [-Together Everyone Achieves More-] sport. So, I willingly collaborate with other "Gravers" to "flesh out" their memorials by adding researched details.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Many of the memorials I've created [or "adopted"] over the years are for members of my family trees. Most of the rest are my MILITARY "brothers & sisters-in-arms" (& their families); helping insure THEY & their sacrifices are not forgotten as time passes.

Whenever possible (i.e., if I find documentation), I work to create fairly detailed FAG memorials... with family links — so future researchers will get a more robust picture of who these folks WERE during their time here on earth (& the lives they touched).

I truly believe EVERY grave marker is calling out — to ANYONE walking by…
"Believe me — there IS a story here — CAN/DO YOU CARE enough to find it? "

In my heart, I know that to hold a meaningful memory of an individual, you need to know a bit more "about the dash" -- i.e., what happened to them (& those they loved) in the years "between their birth & death dates".

My heartfelt belief is EVERY individual/family has a "story to share"; a story that STARTS to become "visible" when you begin to examine where they came from AND where they lived & loved... even more "surfaces" when you examine what they did for a living & "HOW" they chose to live their lives over the years... what they believed & the values they held; i.e., "what guided them".

My goal in my FaG memorials is to tell-their-story - "as I understand it" — based on what I found in my research. I believe that if/when you begin to know their "story"; you will know more about "who they REALLY were". It's not always a happy or romantic story, but personal courage... when confronting life challenges {even the routine, "just-get-through-the-day" challenges} is a trait I admire.

Over time, I want to leave a trail of electronic "bread crumbs" on the Internet to help anyone researching these families. If you're related to someone on my list of memorials, feel free to contact me at the e-mail above & I'll share what I have on them. AND, if your relationship is closer to them than mine, I'm open to your transfer request... if you want to "finish telling their story." — JUST ASK for what you want…

I freely share ALL my researched data as a gift… no need for credit citation. 🫡

I do this as a heartfelt tribute to my mother {Jeanette Theresa (Fahnhorst) Braun, RN; 1926-2001} who taught her children key life skills by HOW she chose to live her life... "TAKE without forgetting & GIVE without remembering." -- [-Elizabeth Bibesco -]

All my SHARED data (in proposed "edit suggestions") comes from verifiable resources. But that said — if I send you a suggestion, since it's YOUR memorial, I encourage you to "cross-check" my inputs — since, I have made some typos in past edit suggestions. Also please continue your own research/"digging" — you may find something I missed... thus the adventure to better "tell-their-story" can continue!

"Don't cry because it's over; smile because it happened."
-- Theodor Seuss Geisel, {aka..."Dr. Seuss"} -- [1904–1991].
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~