Michael Allen Gulbranson
Mike Gulbranson, 77, passed away in Boise, Idaho on April 26, 2023.
Mike was born Michael Allen Gulbranson on March 8, 1946 in Richmond, California. His father, Arne Gulbranson, immigrated from Fåvang, Norway. His mother, Phyllis Simonson, was born in South Dakota, where Mike and his sister Joanne were raised.
Mike graduated from Rapid City, South Dakota’s Central High School in 1964. He studied Sociology and Liberal Arts before he enlisted into the Navy in 1967. He was stationed on the USS Yorktown for 4 years. After the war, Mike returned to school and graduated with a degree in Labor and Employment Law from Eastern Washington University.
Mike worked as an air traffic controller in South Dakota, Montana, and Washington. He served as the president of the Local 557 Spokane chapter of the Professional Air Traffic Control Organization and led their historic strike in 1981.
In 2004, Mike returned to the countries he had traveled in wartime. He loved to say he met his future wife, Arcelita, when he asked her to take his picture during the Kadayawan summer festival of Davao City. After three years, they moved to Idaho where they were married.
Mike was an avid storyteller and writer. He was a lover of music, baseball, and road trips, as well as an ardent collector of Native American art. He had a deep appreciation for nature, especially traveling the National Parks and geocaching. He was a long-time volunteer patroller for the Boise Police Department.
He is survived by his wife, Arcelita, his sister, Joanne, his children Amy, Doug, Janus “Ambong”, Venus “Anyag”, Venus “Angga”, and Janus “Ansam”, his grandchildren Gabe, Alexis, Titus, David, Kenan, Bella, Dodong, and Budoy, and his dog, Pogi.
A memorial service will be held at 11:00 am, Tuesday, June 6, 2023, at Bowman Funeral Parlor, 10254 W. Carlton Bay Dr. in Garden City.
To watch the memorial service, please visit: https://vimeo.com/832354761?share=copy
To watch the committal service, please visit: https://vimeo.com/833766053?share=copy
Arrangements are under the direction of Bowman Funeral Parlor of Garden City.