Edna Branstine credits her faith for her long and productive life

 

ongtime Wetmore resident Edna Branstine celebrates her 100th birthday tomorrow, Friday, January 22.

For Mrs. Branstine every year is an adventure, and this year some of those special memories include a five-month-long visit from one of her four grandchildren, Althea Wormgoor, her husband, and their four children. Another of Mrs. Branstine’s grandchildren, Twyla Petersen, and her son, Matthew, 16, live with the matriarch of Wetmore. In all, Mrs. Branstine’s only child gave her four grandchildren and eight great-grandchildren, all of whom remain close to her and visit often.

The year 2009 held a few other surprises as well. Just after her 99th birthday last January, Mrs. Branstine had another relatively new experience: she had to go to the doctor. When asked for her medical history, she replied that she’d only seen a medical professional twice before in her life, once in the mid 1990s and another time some 65 years before that. She said the doctor had a hard time believing her, but after regaining her strength through some time spent in the hospital, she returned to her Wetmore home where she exercises twice a day to maintain her health.

Mrs. Branstine was asked for some words of wisdom: regular church attendance and respect for her faith were at the top of the list; “life has been good,” she said, adding “the Lord has blessed me abundantly.” She regaled her granddaughters, her great-granddaughters, and a visitor with tales of the Dust Bowl in the 1930s when she, her late husband and their daughter, Luella Brown, had to hang wet sheets in the doorway of their home and cover their meals with damp cloths, reaching under to take bites of food from beneath the fabric to keep the dust off their food.

Still sharp as a tack, Mrs. Branstine seems to recall every year of her amazing life, a life that truly suits her Hardscrabble Creek homestead. Herself a hardscrabble kind of a gal, Mrs. Branstine drove regularly until just a few years ago and always made her own way, financially and otherwise, after becoming a widow at a young age. Her independent spirit is as palpable now as it ever was.

Granddaughter Twyla told the Tribune that she believes her grandmother is the oldest living resident of Custer County. Perhaps life in the former May Betts’ homestead in Wetmore brings longevity: Mrs. Betts lived until the age of 103. But Mrs. Branstine gives all credit to her faith for giving her a peace that has carried her through several deaths in her family this year, including the passing of her last remaining brother. Originally there were ten children, five of whom lived to be adults. Mrs. Branstine is the last of her siblings, but she’s not short on family. More than 100 people have been invited to her party from as far away as Oregon, Florida and Texas.

Mrs. Branstine invites all friends and family to join her at a party at the Wetmore Community Building from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday, Jan. 23. Those planning to attend are asked to bring cards only; no presents. There will be visiting at 11 a.m.; a potluck luncheon at noon; a program at 1 p.m. and cake and punch will be served at 2 p.m.

– Constance Little