Obituaries

Katy, Texas- Nearing her 97th birthday, Ellen Estelle (Gaffney) Brannan died February 15 at her home in Katy, Texas.

Ellen was born in Madison, WI, on February 21, 1921, the third child and second of three daughters born to Thomas Anthony and Mary Mildred (Harbort) Gaffney. Her father was the supervisor at the University Avenue Post Office. She grew up on Madison’s Sherman Avenue along the shores of Lake Mendota where she and her sisters spent hours ice skating at Tenney Park. She graduated in 1939 from Madison’s Central High School where she was active in the Glee Club, the French Club and the Photography Club.

Ellen met Jerry Brannan of Mt. Horeb, WI, a student at Edgewood High School, when her brother Phil brought a baseball teammate home for dinner one spring evening. After a first date with Ellen’s older sister Mary, Jerry shifted his attentions to “Nell.” With war approaching, Jerry enlisted in the U.S. Army, and after Pearl Harbor he completed Army Officer Candidate School at Fort Lewis, WA. On Feb. 13, 1943, Ellen and Jerry were married at St. Patrick’s Church in Madison. After Jerry was shipped to England with the Army Medical Corps in advance of D-Day, Ellen lived with her parents, worked as a clerk at the University of Wisconsin Army ROTC office, and joined the Army Officers’ Wives Club of Madison. After VE Day, Jerry returned to Madison, and the couple decided Jerry would pursue a career outside the military because they wanted to raise a family and did not want to be constantly moving from one Army base to another. They operated a boarding house on Bernard Court near the University, and, at the urging of Ellen’s father, Jerry took a medical records position at the newly opened Veterans Hospital on University Avenue. It was the start of Jerry’s 34-year VA career that would take Ellen and the family to eight cities, moving from Madison to St. Cloud, MN to Dwight, Il, to Madison, to Asheville, NC, to Atlanta, GA, to Fairfax County, VA, to Tomah, WI, and finally to Waco, TX.

In 1980, Jerry retired as Director of the Waco Veterans Hospital and as a colonel in Air Force Reserves. Along the way, their family grew to six children. Ellen’s life was devoted to her six children, driving them to school, sports and after-school activities. With her youngest in high school, Ellen launched her career as a volunteer with the Providence Hospital Auxiliary in Waco, TX, a service activity she thoroughly enjoyed. She and Jerry moved to Katy, TX, to be closer to their youngest son Paul, his wife Kathy and their family.

At the time of her husband’s death in 2005, they had been married for nearly 62 years. Ellen was an active grandmother and great-grandmother, and a member of the Catholic community at the Epiphany of the Lord Church in Katy. She was also a fan, like her late husband, of athletic teams representing Notre Dame, the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and Texas A&M.

Ellen was preceded in death by her husband Jerry in 2005, her brother, Philip Gaffney in 2003, sister-in-law Joyce Gaffney in 2016, and her sisters Jeanne (Hugh) Wallace in 2017 and Mary M. (Martin) Kennedy in 2018.

Ellen is survived by four sons: Joseph T. “Tom” (Suzanne) Brannan of Arlington, VA; Terrence J. “Terry” (Margi) Brannan of Panama City, FL; John K. (Elizabeth) Brannan of Calgary, Canada; and Paul D. (Kathy) Brannan of Katy, TX; and two daughters, Barbara J. (Chet) Knobe of Jackson, WY; and Patricia A. Brannan of Scandia, MN. She was proud of her legacy that included 17 grandchildren: Sarah C., Paul, Jennifer, Michael, Chris, Joe, Sarah K., Casey, Kelley, Wylie, John Travis, Justin, Michael Taylor, Nicole, Amy, Jessica and Nicholas; 22 great-grandchildren: Trevor, Ava, Luke, Lucy, Justin, Katelyn, Lauren, Allison, Wyatt, Hudson, Elliot, Cole, Olivia, Piper, Jack, Max, Molly, Morgan, Estelle, Penelope, Loralie and Reed; and by dozens of nieces and nephews.

A funeral Mass will be celebrated on Monday, Feb. 26 at the Epiphany of the Lord Catholic Church, Katy, TX. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to Epiphany of the Lord Catholic School, 1530 Norwalk Dr., Katy, Texas 77450.

In Madison, the family will host a visitation at 11 a.m. and Rosary 11:45 a.m., on Friday, March 2, 2018, at the Joyce-Ryan Funeral Home, 5701 Odana Road, prior to private entombment in Resurrection Cemetery Mausoleum. A celebration of Ellen’s life will be held in Madison at a later date.

To view and sign this guestbook, please visit: www.ryanfuneralservice.com

Joyce-Ryan Funeral Home & Cremation Services

5701 Odana Road

(608) 274-1000