Longtime R-MA staff member, USAF veteran, dies

WARRENTON, VA – Norman G. Brander, who retired as a Chief Master Sergeant after 27 years of active duty in the U.S. Air Force, and retired again after serving for 18 years on the Randolph-Macon Academy (R-MA) staff in Front Royal, died November 7 at his Warrenton home, at age 71.

A memorial service will be held Saturday, November 17th, at Trinity Lutheran Church, 276 Cleveland Street, Warrenton, at 10 a.m. Born in Vallejo, CA in 1947, Brander died from cancer just one day after his 71st birthday.

“The Chief,” as he was affectionately known to hundreds of cadets who attended R-MA during his tenure, was also a long time president of the local chapter of the Air Force Association. His birthplace in California made him a life-long fan of the San Francisco 49’s, his two daughters, both R-MA graduates, said.

Survivors include his wife, Sue Brander; daughters Annie Brander and Christine Brander, of Winchester, and a son, Matthew, of Charlotte, NC. A brother and sister, Ronald Brander of Oakley, CA and Debra Prushinski of Lynn, MA, also survive.

Memorial contributions may be made to Heartland Hospice in Warrenton, or to R-MA, indicating ” AFA Scholarship in Memory of Chief Brander.”