Betty Lou Branson

Betty Lou Branson of Grand Junction, Colorado, passed away in Castle Rock, Colorado on July 22, 2021. She was surrounded by her loving family. Betty Lou was 82 years old. While her battle with Alzheimer’s Disease had robbed her of many of the things that she loved, including reading, taking long walks, and visiting in person and over the phone, it never took away her love of family and her easy laugh. Betty Lou was always tickled by her kids and grandkids and loved to hear their stories and be a part of their adventures. She could be a bit ornery, too. She loved music, singing, flowers, and Elvis, and most of all she loved to laugh. She would always say, “what would we do if we couldn’t laugh?” Betty Lou was a devoted wife, kind and nurturing mother and grandmother, homemaker, and cookie baker; she had a truly generous soul, and she loved her family unconditionally. She will be greatly missed by all who knew her.

Betty Lou Canaday (her family called her Babe) was born in Paige Nebraska, on October 13, 1938, to parents Gertrude Cowden and Harold Canaday. Betty Lou was the youngest child of four. She loved visiting with neighbors and friends. After graduating from Mountain Home High School, in Mountain Home Idaho, Betty Lou moved to Grand Junction, Colorado with her family, where she met and married the love of her life, Robert “Hap” Branson, on July 27, 1962. Betty Lou was a homemaker and a volunteer in all of her children’s activities.

Betty Lou was preceded in death by her parents, her husband Robert Orcen Branson, her brother Harold Canaday, and sisters Clara Mae Floyd and Dorothy Osborne. She is survived by her daughter Hiedi Lou and her husband Robert Pfeil of Castle Rock, Colorado; daughter Shannan Sue and her husband Richard Frohock of Stillwater, Oklahoma; son Michael Shane and his wife Alissa Branson of Delta, Colorado; grandchildren Amanda and Jason Hood, Jessica and Adam Rogers, Joshua Pfeil, Richard (Bo) Frohock, Bennett Frohock, Hannah Branson, Megan Branson, and Kaitlyn Branson; great-grandchildren Riley, McKinley, Mila and Rogers, and Rhys Hood, as well as many nieces and nephews that she loved.

A private memorial service featuring Fuzzy Navels and Screw Drivers will be held by the family at Betty Lou’s request. Betty Lou’s ashes will be interred at the VA Cemetery in Grand Junction, Colorado, alongside her husband. In Betty Lou’s memory, please love deeply and laugh big!

Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.OlingerAndrews.com for the Branson family.