Obituary of Josephine C. Brantley

Josephine C. Brantley was born September 11, 1938, in Stanley, North Dakota, to parents, William and Carrie (Warden) Chamley.  She passed away on August 17, 2020, at home with family present.  She was the oldest of three children, followed by two younger brothers, John and Calvin Chamley.

 

Josephine spent her early years in North Dakota and then moved to Great Falls, Montana, as a young teen.  She graduated from Great Falls High School 1956, where she made several lifelong friends, including Joy Fulton, who still resides in Great Falls, and Ginger Lyon of Loveland, Colorado.  After graduation, she visited her grandmother, Mary Warden, in Olympia, Washington.  It was in Olympia that she met her future husband, John A. Brantley, a soldier stationed at Fort Lewis Army Base.  They were married on April 21, 1957, at Fort Lewis, Washington.  When John was discharged from the Army, they moved to his home town of Bakersfield, California, where her two sons, John and Calvin, were born.  They returned to Olympia in 1964, raising the boys on Olympia’s west side.

 

Josephine worked for many years at the Olympia Cleaners and, after the boys were grown, she went to work for the Thurston County Youth Services as a Juvenile Detention Attendant.  She loved her job and cared deeply for the troubled children in her charge.

 

After John retired in 1999, they moved to Brookings, Oregon, enjoying many years of walking on the beach, going to garage sales, selling at flea markets, and making many friends along the way.  They loved to travel and took yearly trips to their time-share in Kauai, Hawaii, which they both loved.  In 2006, they moved up to Eugene, Oregon, where Josephine’s sister-in-law and close friend, Charlene Chamley, lived.  Josephine was a member of the Trinity Methodist Church in Eugene.

 

In 2010 after her husband and oldest son both passed away, she made the move back to Olympia to be closer to her son, Calvin, and her grandchildren and great grandchildren.  She enjoyed many family gatherings with all of them up until the end.

 

Besides her parents and her brothers, Josephine was preceded in death by her former husband, John A. Brantley, and her son, Johnny L. Brantley.  She is survived by her son, Calvin (Louise) Brantley of Olympia; grandchildren, Jenni Mays of Castle Rock, Washington, Jon Brantley of Centralia, Washington, Justin (Rayah Rooks) Brantley of Rainier, Washington, Amber (Philip) Dawson of Centralia, and Matthew Brantley of Olympia.  She is also survived by eight great grandchildren; sisters-in-law, Charlene Chamley of San Diego, California, and Carol Schoeman of Long Beach, California; and several nieces and nephews.

 

There will be no service, per her wishes.  Memorial donations may be made to a charity of your choice.

 

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