Obituaries

Whitman Lewis Bransford

Photo of Whitman Lewis Bransford
WHITMAN LEWIS BRANSFORD was born in Chicago, Illinois, on August 16, 1987, and departed us from North Little Rock, Arkansas, on December 4, 2020. He was the loving son of Maryanne and Walt Bransford, preceded in death by his grandparents JW and Anne Lewis, and Lee and Jeanne Bransford, his aunt Robin Bugge and his childhood dogs Sparky and Calvin. Whitman was a graduate of North Little Rock High School and the University of Arkansas at Little Rock. He worked as a teacher for VIPKid, providing online English instruction to students in China. But he was particularly well known for his talents as a musician, working and performing as a freelance artist, a DJ, an audio engineer and a piano instructor at Renown Music in North Little Rock. Genre in music was rarely a barrier for Whitman, and his tastes ranged from delicate ukulele ditties to epic electronic music sets. Classical, jazz, rock and roll, funk, blues—he had a passion for it all, and he had a strong appreciation for many of the great creators who came before him. When it came to his own music, Whitman's talent was unrivaled. He was particularly gifted on the piano and guitar, but he could coax captivating sounds from just about any instrument he could get his hands on, whether it was a saxophone, flute, ukulele—even an Indian sitar or tabla drums. His first public performance as a musician was at the Lakewood Middle School talent show where, as a seventh-grader, he played Jimi Hendrix's rendition of "The Star-Spangled Banner" on the electric guitar. After graduating high school, Whitman continued performing as a member of several bands, as well as a solo artist. The highlight of his career was his role playing keyboards in The Romany Rye, touring the nation with the band Delta Spirit in 2010. The following year, Whitman and his bandmates were featured three times in Rolling Stone magazine, and The Romany Rye's "Untitled (Love Song)" was later covered by acclaimed rock band Counting Crows. Another Romany Rye track, "New King of the Mountain," was featured in a Season 3 episode of the hit Netflix series Ozark. In 2015, Whitman was one of a select few musicians tapped to participate in a music production masterclass with famed Dutch DJ Armin van Buuren, one of his electronica heroes. More recently, Whitman had been performing with and mixing new music for other local artists. He also enjoyed composing and recording his own work in his home studio, which he built himself. But Whitman's passions didn't end with music. He was also a lover of language. Whitman developed an affinity for Spanish in high school and continued his education afterward, ultimately earning a bachelor's degree in the subject. And when it came to his native English, he was well-known as a gifted wordsmith who could quickly craft a metaphor, produce a pun or deal a double entendre with witty aplomb. He was also a philosopher, a deeply spiritual person, a storyteller, an influencer (even in the pre-social-media world), a highly adept comedic mind, a compassionate friend, and a teacher in both a professional and personal sense. It's difficult to sum Whitman up in just a few words because he offered so much of himself to so many. He was an indisputably special soul who touched the lives of every person he met and brought so much happiness to the world. Even those who met him only a few times stayed in touch with him—wanting to keep themselves within his orbit. Whitman was the kind of person who stood out from the rest of the crowd, and not only because of his towering height. People were drawn to Whitman because they valued his intelligence, his authentic character and his voice of reason. He was exactly the type of person you wanted to be around—a selfless caretaker and protector who looked out for others, and whose sweet laidback spirit put those around him at ease and inspired joy wherever he went. He effortlessly radiated so much love throughout the world, and—if the recent outpouring of tributes from his family and friends are any indication—the world reciprocated. He has been described by those who knew him best as "one of a kind," "gentle," "a beacon of warmth and authenticity," "a healer," "enlightened," and "light years ahead." Put simply, Whitman did more living in his short time with us than most do in an entire lifetime. This world was incredibly lucky to have him for as long as it did, and there is certainly a void left in his absence. Whitman is survived by his parents, his uncles and aunts, his most wonderful cousins whom he loved so much, and his beautiful, supportive and refreshingly quirky friends who meant everything to him. And Farley, his bulldog, known to all as Whitman's son. We are grateful to Whitman's friends and our family members for the comforting tributes and love they have shared with us in the past few days, many sentiments of which are included here. We also want to give a special thank you to Wyndham Wyeth and Kat Ryals for their help writing this commemoration of Whitman's life. In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to the Whitman Bransford Music Scholarship fund. Those interested in making a contribution may do by visiting gofundme.com/f/whitman-bransford-music-scholarship-fund or by mailing a donation to Walt or Maryanne Bransford, P.O. Box 95021, North Little Rock, Ark., 72190. Please make checks payable to Walt or Maryanne Bransford, and indicate it's for the Whitman Bransford Music Scholarship Fund. We intend to hold a blowout celebration of Whitman's life with music and fun as soon as we can all get out and enjoy each other and our world again. Onward and further. Live on, sweet Whitman. Guestbook at www.SmithFamilyCares.com.

Published December 13, 2020

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