Natalie D’Ann Browning, 67, passed away in Santa Fe, Tx on July 12, 2025. D’Ann, or Dee Dee to her grandchildren, will be deeply missed by all who knew her.

D’Ann was born in Rankin, Tx on January 21, 1958, to Albert Earl and Barbara Ann Browning. She was the oldest of her three siblings. In Rankin she developed her love of
the outdoors while spending countless hours chasing after and collecting horned toads, the state reptile of Texas. She went on to love riding horses, paddling rivers, walking the
beaches and wading the oceans. She was at her best when she was in the sun, with her family, enjoying nature.

D’Ann graduated from Calallen High School and attended Del Mar College. It was here in Calallen where she had “her boys”, Jason, Justin, Zachary and Ryan. Her boys were her life and there was nothing she wouldn’t do for them. She was a mom in all the best senses of the word and cherished this role.

She was small in stature but big in heart. She was fearless as evidenced by her once
jumping a fence to save a choking pit bull and sticking her small hand down its throat to
extract an Easter egg. She was tough, once breaking her arm clean through while
horseback riding and refusing pain medications because she was pregnant with the
twins and feared harming them. She was a free spirit, open to new things and at a
moments notice willing to go on an adventure, once scaling a vertical ladder over 100
feet up to a narrow ledge on ruins in Honduras when no one else would.

She was an excellent outdoorsperson. She caught a 175 lb tarpon on a topwater lure
thrown from a baitcasting rod, quite the feat. She loved wading the bays, often catching
the biggest trout because “they like my smell”. She even laughed when she accidentally
hooked herself in the lip with a #10 treble hook, saying “now I know why they fight so
hard”. While wading San Luis Pass up to her chest she refused to leave the biting trout
even though there was a big shark enjoying the trout as well. In the photographs of her
with fish one can see the glint in her eye, the mirth in her smile and the absolute joy she
felt written all over her face.

While helping a friend landscape their yard she fell in love with gardening. This led to
her decision to open her own successful landscaping business. She loved working in
the dirt, her hands filthy but her smile wide. Her creativity was an asset and her
determination and stubbornness drove her to success. She was quite the entrepreneur.
She loved to travel. The world was something she wanted to see and it provided many
great memories for her. One was her oldest son’s spontaneous marriage on a beach in
Manzanillo, or her kids and granddaughter’s first horseback ride on a beach in
Zihuantanejo, or a breathtaking view of El Tajo Gorge in Spain. But perhaps her favorite
memory might simply have been of a beach house in Galveston with all her kids and
grandchildren surrounding her, everything she loved wrapped up in one.

D’Ann had nine grandchildren and five great-grandchildren whom she adored. They
have a deep bond with Dee Dee that comes from a closeness rooted in a deep love
from the family matriarch.

She was a daughter, sister, mother, grandmother and friend. Most of all, she was always
herself, unapologetically. She loved her family fiercely and was a loyal caretaker.
Always willing to give you the gift of her time, never asking for anything in return. Never
afraid to speak her mind, you always knew where you stood. Her generous heart,
unwavering support and wisdom will be deeply missed.

She is preceded in death by her beloved parents, Albert Earl and Barbara Ann
Browning; her brother, Charles Douglas Browning; and her sister, Charlotte Denise
Browning.

Left to cherish her memory are her sons, Jason Bierschwale (Alana), Justin Bierschwale
(Karyn), Zach Bierschwale (Jackie), Ryan Bierschwale (Nicole); her grandchildren,
Mycheala Self (Jedd), Madison Bierschwale, McKenzie Bierschwale, Jakob
Bierschwale, Madison Bierschwale, Bria Bierschwale, Kynnedi Bierschwale, Alyssa
Bierschwale and Reese Bierschwale; her great-grandchildren, Paisley, Westyn, Sawyer,
Ellison, and Kyla; her brother Gary Michael Browning; her niece, Ashleen Gaddy; her
nephews, Samuel Browning, Bryan Michael Browning, and Garret Dickey.

“Though She Be But Little, She Is Fierce”
-William Shakespeare
The family will hold a private ceremony at a later date.
Donations may be made to the League City Animal Shelter in her honor.