Sunsation Boats Team Reeling From Loss Of 29-Year-Old Brandon Accettura

A beloved and respected employee of Sunsation Powerboats, Brandon Accettura was killed on November 27 when an allegedly intoxicated driver crossed into his lane and collided head on with the vehicle Accettura was driving in Fair Haven, Mich. Accettura was 29 years old.

Captured piloting a vintage Hydrostream sportboat, Brandon Accettura was a “1980s kind of boatbuilder.”

The lifelong Michigander joined the Algonac-based center console company’s assembly crew four years ago and became the supervisor of the department. Passionate about boat-building, Accettura was among Sunsation’s rising stars. His late-afternoon death on Thanksgiving-eve, said national sales and marketing manager Ryan Wenk, stunned the Sunsation team and its customer-community.

“It’s rough, man,” said Wenk during a telephone interview this morning. “This is one of the biggest losses in the history of the company. Brandon was always the first to get here and one of the last to leave. He was here most Saturdays either working on his own projects or just catching up with work. He brought passion and energy to the job, every day.

“Brandon was a 1980s kind of boatbuilder in a 29-year-old body,” he continued. “He loved everything ‘retro’ in this industry and had a passion for restoring old boats. He was figuring out life as an adult, and living it to the fullest.”

Thanks to his passion for boat-building, Accettura (right) rose quickly through the Sunsation ranks.

Accettura is survived by his mother, Julie, father, Tony, and brothers, Anthony and Domenic. Starting at 11 a.m., a memorial visitation will be held Friday, December 6, at Thayer-Rock Funeral Home in Farmington. His memorial service will begin at 3 p.m. Per his parents’ wishes, contributions in his honor should be directed to the Mothers Against Drunk Driving organization.

“Brandon was a leader at this company, and he will forever be a leader here,” Wenk said. “He would have had a seat at the Sunsation leadership table, that’s for sure.

“At the end of the day, we was a craftsman who never would have put the spotlight on himself—but he deserved it,” he added.