Charlie Braden, age 54, of Saint Paul, died of heart disease on Aug. 31, 2008, in Grand Forks.

Born Nov. 1, 1953, in Minneapolis, he was a beloved husband, son, brother, uncle and

friend.

A graduate of Marshall High School in Minneapolis (1971), he attended Juilliard School of Music and graduated from Macalaster College (1975) with a B.A. in music composition.

He was a talented musician and composer on the Minneapolis music scene. A founding member of Zeitgeist, he performed in IMP ORK and played with the Suburbs and the musicians of Husker Du. He cooked at Gluek's Restaurant and later had a career in software development, as he most recently was employed by Aatrix Software in Grand Forks.

He was preceded in death by his father Charles M. "Murray" Braden.

He is survived by his wife, Dr. Kathryn Strom; his mother, Geraldine Rugg Braden; sisters, Margaret Braden Stein (Jerry), Liz Braden (Tom Fitch) and Ann Braden Seigel (Harold); nieces and nephews Nat, Sarah, Ben and Emily, as well as many friends in Minnesota and North Dakota.

In lieu of flowers, please direct memorials to the Charlie Braden Music Opportunity Fund, c/o Achieve Minneapolis, 111 3rd Ave S., Suite 5, Minneapolis, Minn., 55401. Memorial service

information is at www.amundsonfuneralhome.com