1942
Jerrie
2024
Jerrie Branson
October 15, 1942 — March 22, 2024
Jerrie J. Branson, 81, of Decatur, passed away peacefully on March 22, 2024.
A funeral service will be at St. Paul's Lutheran Church, 1 Bachrach Ct, Decatur, IL at 10:00 AM on Thursday, March 28, 2024. Visitation will be 9:00 – 10:00 AM, Thursday, at the church. Graveside service will be at 2:00 PM, Thursday, March 28, at Parkview Cemetery, 2021 North University Street, Peoria, IL .
Jerrie was born on October 15, 1942, in Portsmouth, VA and was the only child of Walter Wayne Wentz and Imogene Rush Wentz. Not long afterward, they moved to Indiana so she and her mother could be with family while her dad served in WW II. After her father returned from the harrowing and horrific work of liberating concentration camps and peace was finally restored, his welding skills were in demand, so he moved his family to Peoria, Illinois. She attended a private, parochial school until fifth grade when she transferred to a Peoria public school. That pivotal event changed the life course for Jerrie and a young lad named Tom Branson. During her teen years, Jerrie was involved in the Walther League at Trinity Lutheran Church in Peoria. She worked for the Coca-Cola Bottling Company in Peoria. On September 28, 1963, Jerrie married her childhood sweetheart, Thomas (Tom) W. Branson. They welcomed their first daughter, Jill, on April 26, 1966, and moved to Taylorville, IL, for a short time and then to Decatur, IL. Their second daughter, Rebecca (Becky), was born on January 9, 1972.
While her daughters were in elementary school, Jerrie was a noon-hour supervisor at Dennis School and served as the PTA president. She worked for many years at The Bowl, a bowling alley in Decatur, IL. During that time, Jerrie ran the Tolly’s Ladies Bowling Tournament at The Bowl, which attracted thousands of women bowlers each year from across the U.S. She was a member and a former president of the American Business Women’s Association (ABWA). She also volunteered at St. Mary’s Hospital. Jerrie and Tom owned and operated the Mailboxes Etc. stores in Decatur, and Mt. Zion, IL. She and Tom were members of St. Paul’s Lutheran Church in Decatur. They mentored several young couples who were preparing for their marriages. When those couples later shared their weddings, anniversaries, birth announcements, and babies and children’s photos with her, she was always thrilled to celebrate their joy-filled accomplishments.
Jerrie was very social, never met a stranger, and always loved to laugh with her family and friends. She was a proud Nana to her grandchildren, Garrett and Sarah. For many years, Jerrie and Tom were regularly active in the local Mothers And Fathers In Action party group (affectionately and humorously known as M.A.F.I.A) Jerrie enjoyed walking on the beach with Tom at the Outer Banks of North Carolina.
Jerrie’s survivors are her husband of 60 years, Tom Branson of Decatur; daughters Jill (Eric) Hammergren of Raleigh, NC, and Rebecca “Becky” (Stephen) Reisinger of Fort Wayne, IN; grandchildren Garrett and Sarah Reisinger; and stepfather Robert T. Radley of Washington, IL. Jerrie was preceded in death by her father, Walter Wentz, her mother, Imogene Wentz Radley, and her uncle, Robert Wentz.
In lieu of flowers, please consider donating to the Alzheimer’s Association in Jerrie’s name at http://act.alz.org/goto/jerriebranson .
A funeral service will be at St. Paul's Lutheran Church, 1 Bachrach Ct, Decatur, IL at 10:00 AM on Thursday, March 28, 2024. Visitation will be 9:00 – 10:00 AM, Thursday, at the church. Graveside service will be at 2:00 PM, Thursday, March 28, at Parkview Cemetery, 2021 North University Street, Peoria, IL .
Jerrie was born on October 15, 1942, in Portsmouth, VA and was the only child of Walter Wayne Wentz and Imogene Rush Wentz. Not long afterward, they moved to Indiana so she and her mother could be with family while her dad served in WW II. After her father returned from the harrowing and horrific work of liberating concentration camps and peace was finally restored, his welding skills were in demand, so he moved his family to Peoria, Illinois. She attended a private, parochial school until fifth grade when she transferred to a Peoria public school. That pivotal event changed the life course for Jerrie and a young lad named Tom Branson. During her teen years, Jerrie was involved in the Walther League at Trinity Lutheran Church in Peoria. She worked for the Coca-Cola Bottling Company in Peoria. On September 28, 1963, Jerrie married her childhood sweetheart, Thomas (Tom) W. Branson. They welcomed their first daughter, Jill, on April 26, 1966, and moved to Taylorville, IL, for a short time and then to Decatur, IL. Their second daughter, Rebecca (Becky), was born on January 9, 1972.
While her daughters were in elementary school, Jerrie was a noon-hour supervisor at Dennis School and served as the PTA president. She worked for many years at The Bowl, a bowling alley in Decatur, IL. During that time, Jerrie ran the Tolly’s Ladies Bowling Tournament at The Bowl, which attracted thousands of women bowlers each year from across the U.S. She was a member and a former president of the American Business Women’s Association (ABWA). She also volunteered at St. Mary’s Hospital. Jerrie and Tom owned and operated the Mailboxes Etc. stores in Decatur, and Mt. Zion, IL. She and Tom were members of St. Paul’s Lutheran Church in Decatur. They mentored several young couples who were preparing for their marriages. When those couples later shared their weddings, anniversaries, birth announcements, and babies and children’s photos with her, she was always thrilled to celebrate their joy-filled accomplishments.
Jerrie was very social, never met a stranger, and always loved to laugh with her family and friends. She was a proud Nana to her grandchildren, Garrett and Sarah. For many years, Jerrie and Tom were regularly active in the local Mothers And Fathers In Action party group (affectionately and humorously known as M.A.F.I.A) Jerrie enjoyed walking on the beach with Tom at the Outer Banks of North Carolina.
Jerrie’s survivors are her husband of 60 years, Tom Branson of Decatur; daughters Jill (Eric) Hammergren of Raleigh, NC, and Rebecca “Becky” (Stephen) Reisinger of Fort Wayne, IN; grandchildren Garrett and Sarah Reisinger; and stepfather Robert T. Radley of Washington, IL. Jerrie was preceded in death by her father, Walter Wentz, her mother, Imogene Wentz Radley, and her uncle, Robert Wentz.
In lieu of flowers, please consider donating to the Alzheimer’s Association in Jerrie’s name at http://act.alz.org/goto/jerriebranson .
To order memorial trees or send flowers to the family in memory of Jerrie Branson, please visit our flower store.
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St. Paul's Lutheran Church
Funeral Service
St. Paul's Lutheran Church
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Parkview Cemetery
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