Susan S. Branch

She was a graduate of Longmont High School and the University of Colorado, Boulder, and a longtime resident of Golden, Colo.

Sue is survived by Bob Branch, her husband of 65 years and her primary caretaker to the end; her children, Betsy Branch Edwards, Katie Branch Zwetzig (Randy), John Branch (Catherine); nine grandchildren and two great grandchildren. She also leaves behind a closet of sweaters she loved to wear, shelves of treasured knick knacks carried home from world travels, and a million funny stories that will be sprinkled through our lives like pixie dust.

She was born on June 20, 1936, in Arkansas City, Kan., to Clyde and Evelyn Seedle. Her younger brother, Clyde Donald (Don) Seedle died in 2022.

The Seedle family settled in Longmont in 1945, when Sue was in third grade. They lived in a two-story house on Sunset Street, overlooking Sunset Golf Course. In fifth grade, Sue met a tall, thin boy named Bob Branch. Either through intuition or a lifelong hesitation to throw things away, Sue kept the Valentine’s Day card she received from Bob that year.

The two dated at Longmont High and attended the University of Colorado, Boulder, where Sue was president of Delta Delta Delta sorority and a member of Phi Beta Kappa, the honor society. She graduated in 1958 with a degree in English Literature.

Sue Seedle and Bob Branch married on Aug. 10, 1958, in Longmont. Sue became a middle-school teacher in Denver, but put her career on hold as she and Bob had three children and moved around the country before settling in Golden in 1973.

Betsy was born in New Jersey in 1959, and Katie was born in Boulder in 1961. John was born in California in 1967. Some of their strongest memories came from nearly a decade living in Torrance, Calif., where Sue and Bob made lifelong friends with other young families.

They lived more than 30 years in a yellow, two-story house at the base of Lookout Mountain, overlooking the growing town of Golden and the twinkling lights of Denver. Sue returned to teaching, working steadily as a substitute, mostly at her beloved Golden High School. She filled her calendar with social activities, including painting and playing cards, and was a longtime member of P.E.O., the women’s philanthropy. She and Bob were members of Faith Lutheran Church and, later, Glory of God Lutheran in Wheat Ridge, and were active in Director’s Club and alumni groups at the University of Colorado.

Sue and Bob enjoyed long drives around the American West, but also traveled extensively around the world, on bus tours, river cruises and safaris, often with other couples.

Sue loved the color blue, a Coors Light at 5 p.m. and a well-timed pun. She was light as a feather and sharp as a tack. She believed in conversations at the kitchen table, hand-written thank-you notes and the importance of voting. She appreciated a good bargain and a well-stocked pantry. She loved Patty melts, cinnamon bears and a good casserole. She was never difficult. She was always hesitant to leave a party.

The couple moved to Fort Collins in 2015 and lived close to their daughters. Dementia slowly sapped Sue of her outward spirit, if not her spunk. She died at home, comfortably in bed. With family nearby and Bob laying next to her, Sue took three deep breaths and left quietly. Bob gently closed the blue eyes that he fell in love with 70 years before. He was the only one who called her Susie.

A graveside service for family will be held at Mountain View Cemetery in Longmont. Donations should be made to Dementia Together in Fort Collins.