It’s never easy to cope with a loved one’s loss. The moments, the relationship, and most of all the emotional connection never fade away even after their passing. 1 year since his mother’s demise, a veteran college football announcer is remembering just that, reminiscing about the life his mother gave him.

FOX Sports’ announcer Tim Brando took to Instagram recently and shared an emotional post relating to his mother. “Lost Mom a little over a year ago, and boy was she special! Just a few months shy of 98 years young when we lost her. She raised 4 of us, and nearly outlived two of her children,” wrote Brando. Brando’s mother, Loretta, was the one who kept Brando’s family going as he wrote.

We saw Loretta present with Brando in his special moments. And the veteran announcer never left an opportunity to showcase his love for his mom. For instance, in a 2019 Facebook post, Tim shared a heartfelt picture with his family and his mom, wishing her Mother’s Day. At a glance, anyone can guess Brando’s happiness with a ripe smile beaming down his face. But now that it’s been a year since her passing, Tim penned an emotional note for her.

“Mom had a spark about her always, and boundless energy no matter what any of us had going on. “Get Back Loretta,” as my buddies and me routinely called her. A country girl that could dress up and get sassy with the best of em! 💜🙏RIP Loretta Pierce Brandao. Your oldest boy misses you,” wrote Brando.

Born on May 24, 1927, Tim’s mother, Loretta, lived a happy and enduring life until she passed away peacefully at her home in Shreveport last November. In her life, she was “fiercely independent” and was always supportive of her kids. Not just that, but she was also a skilled manager and earned immense respect from her colleagues and employers. Moreover, her love for basketball and track running also seeped into her kids. That must surely be one of the reasons Tim found his love for basketball and football announcing.

Later in her life, when she became a grandmother in 1983, her love poured endlessly to her grandchildren, who gave her several grandma names. Those ranged from “Rella’ to ‘Retta’ and she never missed an opportunity to spoil her grandkids. Late in her life, despite dementia clouding her memories, her spirit remained almost as vivacious as it always was. May she rest in peace, as her legacy lives on through Tim’s energetic announcing. 

Tim Brando reflects on the loss of his sister, Gigi

Brando is currently busy announcing games for FOX Sports. The college football regular season is almost at its culmination, and the stakes are even higher now. Amid that bustle and busy nature of life, Tim’s reflection on his mother’s loss shows that despite all of it, we all still share common human experiences. The losses of our loved ones are a part of it, and Tim has had his fair share of losses. Recently, the legendary football announcer had to go through losing his sister as well.

“We (my original family) said goodbye to my older sister Gigi yesterday. Closure took a while, as my younger brother was kind enough to consider my crazy schedule in what was a private funeral. She would have wanted that and as her very ‘public’ brother…. Gigi was an enormously gifted human being and gave more than she took. Hug those near and dear while ya still can! 🙏💜 Love ya, Sis,” wrote Brando.

Tim’s sister, Gigi, was also a beacon of support for him. He shared several pictures of her together from his childhood and reminisced about the loss. Brando called her  someone who “kept us going through tough times.” Apart from his sister, Brando also lost his younger Brother, Curt, 5 years ago and has reflected deeply on his loss several times. May god give Tim the strength to cope with the loss of his loved ones, as they are now in a better place, resting in peace.