His father, a German Jew, escaped to the United States in Dec. 1938, had two best friends named Johannes. During his internment in an American Prisoner-of-War camp, he became a baptized Christian.
His mother was born on a farm near Windsor, Nova Scotia; her father was a whaler on the North Atlantic. Johannes' parents met at Berea College, in Berea, KY but married after his father began his doctoral studies at the University of Wisconsin (UW), Madison. The Holy Spirit implanted saving faith within Johannes as he received the Sacrament of Holy Baptism at Calvary Chapel, the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod (LC-MS) chapel on the campus of the U.W.
Johannes learned the joy and peace of the Gospel of Christ, classical music and the church year at his home parish of Immanuel Lutheran Church, Madison. Receiving his first three years of formal education at his home church's Madison Lutheran School, He spent much of the week of the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis in Immanuel's civil defense shelter, well below ground. In 1964 he gazed across the inner and outer Berlin Walls while in 1989, his parents were in Berlin as all that came down and brought their son a piece of it.
Brann received his high school diploma from Madison East High School in 1974, his bachelor's degree in history (U.W., Madison) in 1978 and a Master of Divinity (Christ Seminary-Seminex, St. Louis) in 1982. His vicarage (student pastor) was at Pilgrim Lutheran Church, Indianapolis. His supervisor was taken by our Lord to Himself the day after Thanksgiving in 1980. Brann led that funeral with 1100 in attendance and with much help, led that 900-member congregation until a new pastor was installed.
Brann was ordained a Lutheran pastor in January 1983 in Port Huron, Michigan, at a parish whose pastor also battled cancer. Thankfully, he got better and Brann then served three years at Gloria Christi Lutheran Church in Dearborn Heights, MI. After that he served a 9-month in Salem, MO before serving a decade as pastor of Our Savior Lutheran in Buffalo, MO. During his time in Buffalo, he and the parish moved from a liberal branch of Lutheranism to the bible based and confessional LC-MS. In Sept. 1997, Pastor Brann began serving the Missouri Synod congregation in El Dorado Springs, MO, before adding Trinity Lutheran, Nevada in April 1999; he served both until he retired at the end of Sept. 2026.
Called by God to serve congregations unable to afford a full-time pastor, Brann worked a variety of outside jobs including home-health, librarian, newspaper reporter and as a para-professional special education teacher.
In Sept. 1989, Johannes was united in holy matrimony to Carol Marie (Boe) Staber; he adopted her youngest child, Joy Joanna Helena (Brann) Jennings. As he liked to say, "My daughter lives up to her name; she's a true joy!"
Brann took delight in proclaiming salvation by faith in Christ Jesus as a parish pastor, researching and writing local history, poetry, reading from his extensive library while enjoying children of all ages. Because at his birth - his mother required three units of blood, his father eventually donated 27 gallons while Johannes donated 14 through the American Red Cross.
Johannes was preceded in death by his great aunts Mildred and Jane H. Cove, parents, ER. and Helen Brann, and wife, Carol. He is survived by his daughter Joy, brother, Paul (Mary) Brann and their four children in Madison.
A memorial service will be held at Trinity Lutheran Church 1630 N. Ash St., Nevada, MO, on Tuesday, November 17, 2026, at 10:30 a.m. led by the Rev. Daniel Huitshusen, Pastor of Grace Lutheran Church, Aurora, Missouri. The family will receive friends from 9:30-10:30 a.m. prior to the service.
Those who wish may contribute in Johannes's memory to Trinity Lutheran Church.
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