“It is better to go to the house of mourning than to go to the house of feasting, for this is the end of all mankind, and the living will lay it to heart” (Eccl. 7:2).
Upon arriving to surround our grieving family for the funeral of their Dear Mom and Grandmother, we stepped into the fellowship hall to hear this…
My Great Aunt Blanche Boren Branch, 96, of Tifton, formerly of Ashburn passed away Wednesday, July 26, 2023 in Tifton.
Blanche was born on December 12, 1926 in Tupelo, Mississippi to the late Jeff and Eula Bell Stanley Boren. She was a member of the Ashburn First Baptist Church and a homemaker. She also worked for many years at the Turner County Stockyard and attended secretarial school. Blanche loved to cook and sew. She and her husband, Gilbert, had a comedy skit known as Sport and Dolly that went international when they performed their skit for friends and others on trips abroad.
She is survived by her daughters, Cathy (Phil) Thompson of Ft. Collins, Colorado and Beverly (Emory) Lussi of Tifton; sons, Ron Branch of Tifton, Stanley (Pam) Branch of Tifton and Jody (Wendy) Branch of Raleigh, North Carolina;
sister, Eva Ramsey of Houston, Texas;
grandchildren, Abigail (Dr. Steve) Atkinson-Zeigler, Perry (Jeni) Branch, Jason (Michelle) Thompson, Amber (Tim) Constant, Stephanie Thompson, Tim Thompson, Zac Thompson, Matt (Stacey) Lussi, Jeremy (Brittany) Lussi, Aaron (Hannah) Lussi, Bethany (Ed) Troyo, Harris Branch, Lee (John) Williams, Gil (Acacia Lawson) Branch, Emily Branch, Michael Branch and Kenny Branch. She is also survived by 24 great-grandchildren.
In addition to her parents,
(William Jefferson Boren and Eula Bell Stanley Boren)
she was preceded in death by her husband, Gilbert D. Branch;
sisters, Clarice Chastain, Edith Massey and Bernice “Bunny” Wilson; brother, Roy Boren.
Photo taken: ~1982
Seated: William Jefferson Boren, my Great Granddaddy Jeff.
Standing, from left to right-
Aunt Bunny, Aunt Clarice, Aunt Edith, Granddaddy Roy (my Granddaddy), Aunt Eva (our only surviving Boren offspring will turn 104 08/23/23, LORD willing), and Aunt Blanche.
Funeral services were held at 2:00 PM Sunday, July 30, 2023 at the Ashburn First Baptist Church with interment to follow at Rose Hill Cemetery. The family greeted friends Saturday, July 29, 2023 from 4:00 PM until 6:00 PM at Perry Funeral Chapel.
https://www.perryfuneralchapel.com/obituaries/blanche-branch
With her Bible held high, Son-in-law, Emory eulogized Aunt Blanche’s love for the LORD and His Word, for the joy He gave her in her living. He shared how she daily treasured reading her Bible, enjoyed living out her faith, loved her family, and looked for ways to serve others.
From all the notes she’d written in her worn out, tattered and taped together cherished Bible, Emory chose to read her “Birthday verses”…
“Listen to me, O house of Jacob, all the remnant of the house of Israel, who have been borne by me from before your birth, carried from the womb; even to your old age I am He, and to gray hairs I will carry you. I have made, and I will bear; I will carry and will save. …”
Isaiah 46:3-4
God was faithful to carry her to her last day of living here on earth.
Following the funeral service, many gathered to surround the family around Aunt Blanche’s burial place.
Emory shared the story of the Israelites erecting stones so parents would tell their children what God had done. The stones prompted their children to ask, “Why is this here?”
He pointed out to us all the stones laying around us for reminder….stones that tell a story of someone’s living and dying.
Aunt Blanche’s living was for telling; she lived by grace through faith and love for her LORD and Savior, Christ Jesus.
Bev and Emory sang to remind us she’s moved to the home Her Savior prepared for her. Everyone joined in and sang so beautifully, including my Mother Dear…
How Beautiful Heaven Must Be,
written by Mrs. A. S. Bridgewater, 1920.
https://library.timelesstruths.org/music/How_Beautiful_Heaven_Must_Be/
Mom and Dad have long told us, “This is not our home. We’re just passing through.”
❤️
I’ll miss You, Dear One…
