A retiree residing in Sun City West, Arizona, John Oscar Branch spends much of his free time reading novels by John Steinbeck and Ernest Hemingway and watching action movies. He also enjoys morning walks to begin his day and maintain an active lifestyle. Prior to retirement, John Oscar Branch was the owner of three Oregon-based companies, all of which he founded and managed.
His most recent endeavor was John O. Branch Chimney Sweep, which catered to clients throughout the Portland metropolitan region. Meanwhile, his earliest business, Oregon Chimney Repair and Cleaning, is still in business today. His real estate appraisal company, Branch Appraisal, was founded after he earned an associate’s degree in real estate appraisal from Portland Community College.
A member of Veterans of Foreign Wars, he was a petty officer third class, FTG3, in the United States Navy during the 1970s. He went on numerous combat missions in North Vietnam over a two-year period as part of an all-volunteer crew that undertook dangerous missions aboard the USS Rowan DD-782.
