Nathaniel "Nate" Joseph Brancato Sr. (August 2, 1932 – June 29, 2017) was born to parents Mario and Josephine Brancato in Kansas City, Missouri. He graduated from Glennon High School in 1949 in Kansas City where he participated in football among other activities. Following his High School graduation he served in The United States Army, Fourth Army Headquarters at Fort Sam Houston in Texas during the Korean War from December 1, 1952 until receiving an honorable discharge on November 30th 1954.  He enjoyed his time in the service and often spoke of his friends and their endeavors.

Following his active duty he returned to the family business and was co-owner of Fairyland Amusement Park that was established by his paternal grandfather in 1923.  As a young boy he grew up at Fairyland having a chance to see and personally get to know some of the great band leaders; he talked about sitting on Count Basie's lap while he practiced his piano.  Now was his opportunity to help manage Fairyland and he relished being able to support the success of the family business.  He personally had a hand in building the Wildcat rollercoaster, which was the largest steel rollercoaster in the world at that time.  Nate took the first test ride on the Wildcat as he was never afraid of a challenge. The Wildcat remained in operation until Fairyland closed in 1977.  This great rollercoaster still operates at Frontier City Amusement Park in Oklahoma City and is another attribute of his legacy.

He fell in love with and married his wife Carmeline of 60 years on November 9, 1957. Carmeline survives him and together they raised four children:  Mario (Laura), Steve, Nathaniel Jr (Kelly) and JoAnna Janesko (Keith), who survive him as well.

After the park closed, he and his sons began to focus on new business opportunities.  In 1969 he purchased Brancato's Catering.  With his sons by his side the company has flourished through three generations and has been recognized as an industry leader, being named as a representative of Leading Caterers of America (LCA).  During the next period of his life he and his sons operated Harry T's restaurant and launched All Seasons Event Rental, which grew to become one of the nation's premier rental companies.  Nate Brancato had a fearless entrepreneurial spirit that will forever live on.  Those close to him can recall all the gadgets, trinkets and valuables that he would buy and sell or just give away to his friends and family that he loved so much.

Nathaniel J Brancato Sr. is loved and will be missed by his family and friends – a family that has now grown to include 10 grandchildren:  Andrew (Melissa), Allison (Jake), Annelise, Ariana, Nicole (Peter), Gina, Nathaniel III, Nicholas, Devin, Charlie and 4 great grandchildren:  William, Gianna, Liliana, Jacob.  Nate was preceded in death by his parents, his brother Salvatore and sister-in-law Helen Brancato.  He is survived by his sister Maria and brother-in-law Vince Accurso, and brother-in-law Henry Cosentino

Rosary will be prayed at 6:45 p.m. followed by visitation from 7:00-9:00 p.m. on Sunday, July 2nd at St. Thomas More Catholic Church located at 11822 Holmes Rd, Kansas City, MO.  Mass will be held on Monday, July 3rd at 10:00 a.m. followed by burial at Mount Olivet Catholic Cemetery located at 7601 Blue Ridge Blvd, Raytown, MO.

Carmeline and her family would like to thank the staff at Lamar Court for their love and support during this time. In lieu of flowers please make charitable donations to The Upper Room 2803 East 51 Street, Kansas City Missouri, 64130.

Condolences may be offered at www.passantinobros.com