Jimmy Brannan started out selling car parts from the trunk of his car. He'd hit as many service stations as he could with fan belts, headlights and hoses.
A side venture to make extra money became a full-fledged business, thanks to the late James Floyd Brannan Sr. He started Lawrenceville Auto Parts partly because of his son's entrepreneurship. The young Brannan bought that store and expanded with B&B Auto Parts in Buford and Lilburn's Gwinnett Auto Parts.
"He was always wanting to make money," said Malinda Johnston Brannan, his wife of eight years. "He got into real estate a little, too. He did a whole lot of things before I met him."
The antique car lover supported the community, too. He was Lawrenceville Mayor Rex Millsaps' go-to man when it came to benevolence.
"I used to round him up every year when I was in charge of fundraisers for the high school and other events," he said. "He was somebody I could count on."
Last fall, James Floyd Brannan Jr. of Lawrenceville went on dialysis because of his failing kidneys. He died Saturday from complications of the ailment at Gwinnett Medical Center. He was 71. A memorial is set for 1 p.m. Thursday at Wages and Sons Funeral Home Gwinnett Chapel.
Mr. Brannan was born in Lithonia, but he moved to Lawrenceville around second grade. His father served as Lawrenceville mayor and owned a Ford dealership, now closed.
In 1990, the Lawrenceville High grad was named Gwinnett County's small-business person of the year. Years later, he sold the inventory in the parts stores but kept the buildings. Today, the Buford store is closed; Carquest operates the Lawrenceville and Lilburn locations.
Jack Baggett Jr. of Lawrenceville, who dabbled in real estate with Mr. Brannan, recalled a businessman quick with math and customer service.
"I can remember sitting in his office talking real estate, and if numbers came into the conversation, I wouldn't need my calculator," Mr. Baggett said. "If a phone line rang twice, he would answer it before it rang the third time. He'd deal with the customer."
Mr. Brannan served on the boards of the Gwinnett Chamber of Commerce and Trust Company of Georgia, now SunTrust. He'd also belonged to the Atlanta Regional Commission and the Lawrenceville Downtown Authority.
Mr. Brannan's first wife, June Wages Brannan, died in 1989.
His antique car collection included a 1955 Thunderbird convertible and a 1957 Chevy, among others. He enjoyed his home in Cape Coral, Fla., as well as landscaping and gardening.
"Our yard is full of flowers right now," his wife said.
Survivors besides his wife include a daughter, Joni Brannan Mize of Duluth; a son, James Floyd "Jamie" Brannan III of Dacula; two stepchildren, Christi Robb of Alpharetta and Mark Johnston of Snellville; three sisters, Polly Brannan Judd of Columbia, Jeanne Brannan Paglee of Annapolis, Md., and Nellie Brannan of Melbourne Beach, Fla.; and 10 grandchildren.
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