Obituary: Gordon Alvin Brainerd, 86, of Branford

Obituary courtesy of W. S. Clancy Memorial Funeral Home:

Gordon Alvin Brainerd of Branford died peacefully Monday April 26, 2021 at Middlesex Shoreline Medical Center in Westbrook. He was the husband of Leah Bartlett Brainerd of Maine.

Gordon was born in Stony Creek March 21, 1935, son of the late Gordon and Hilda Gunther Brainerd. He grew up in Stony Creek and was affectionately known as “Ike.”

He was a U. S. Army veteran of the Korean Conflict. He worked for many years as a stone mason for Cameron Construction. Ike lived at what was known as Grand Central Station Stony Creek. He was an avid hunter, fisherman, gardener, beekeeper and anything to do with the sea and Mother Earth.

Ike was involved as creator and curator of the Dudley Farm Native American Museum. Gordon was his Christian name but to the Bear Clan of the Quinnipiac Tribal Council of the Algonquin Confederacy he was Fox Running Medicine Chief. Fox Running passed down the folklore of his Bear Clan ways.

He could often be found sipping coffee to the sound of the waves in front of his parents’ old home near the public dock in Stony Creek. A warm and spiritual man, he will be missed by all.

Besides Leah, Ike is survived by his siblings, Connie (Bill) Francois, Lucille Ward, Renee Stannard, Robin (Larry) Faulkner, Dana (Jill) Brainerd and Judy Flynn and many nieces and nephews. He was predeceased by his brothers, William P. and James P. Brainerd.
Funeral services are private.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in memory of Gordon Fox Running Brainerd to Dudley Farm Museum, 2351 Durham Road, Guilford, CT 06437.