Brandon Neil Baxley completed his journey when he took his final steps through the gates of Heaven on February 20, 2026, following a long, extended illness.  He was born September 14, 1979, a son of Marion (Pepper) Baxley and Renee H. Baxley.  In addition to his mother and father, Brandon is survived by one daughter, Kamea Gailes (Malik), three very special Aunts, Lorna Skipper (Larry), Donna Baxley and Kathy Johnson (Tom), a very special Uncle, David Huggins, his Mommaw, Barbara Baxley, Aunts, Janice Baxley and Sheri C. Laster (Ken), a half-sister, Heather M. Allen Currie, a special friend and companion, Techelle Matthew, and her children Lasiah and Isaiah.  He was predeceased by his Mommaw (Sybil) and Papaw (Maxie) Huggins, his Papaw, Marion Baxley, his Papaw, Fred Allen, and Aunts Maxine, Carol, and Nadine.  Brandon enjoyed buying shoes (thanks, Granny Smith), hunting and fishing, and was always so excited when he "out-fished" his dad, which was not very often.  He loved college football, especially his Gamecocks.  From the time he was 5 years old until he turned 17 and went to boot camp, he and his mom didn't miss a single home game and were at most away games.  He joined the Marines at the age of 17 and retired after 20 years of service as a Master Sergeant with numerous medals and awards.  During his time in the Corp he was deployed four times, twice to Iraq and twice to Afghanistan.  After retirement, he attended barber school in California and did an internship in Georgia. Brandon's journey was a long and hard one, and we could not have gotten him home to be with the Lord without the help received from family, friends, the wonderful people at Lower Cape Fear Hospice, his favorite Nurse, Kelly, and his very special caregivers, Carlie and Scherrie. Brandon was not just our child; he was our spirit, hope, and greatest blessing, and he left us with thousands of precious memories. Please know that we love you and appreciate all prayers and support during our journey, but we are taking time for ourselves and are not accepting visitors. No services are planned at this time.  Memorials in his honor can be made to the Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease (CJD) Foundation, Inc., 3634 W. Market Street, Suite 110, Akron, Ohio 44333, www.cjdfoundation.org, or to Lower Cape Fear LifeCare, 1414 Physicians Drive, Wilmington, NC 28401.