Dorothy Burcham Bratton

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Dorothy Burcham Bratton July 17, 1925 - August 20, 2008

Dorothy Burcham. Bratton passed away peacefully on August 20, 2008 in Grand Junction from CHF and Pulmonary Fibrosis. She was 83 years old. Dorothy was born July 17, 1925 in Erin, Tennessee to John Thomas and Laura Brake Burcham. She attended schools in Memphis, TN and San Antonio, TX where she was selected as “The Rose of San Antone”. She married James Leon Bratton on May 18, 1942 in Nashville, TN. Captain Bratton was an aviation cadet who went on to become a career pilot in the USAF. For many years her sole career was as an officer’s wife and devoted mother to three daughters, each born in a different state as they traveled from base to base. She took great pride in the fact that she was able to hold down the fort while her husband flew overseas missions during World War II and later the Korean Conflict.

After her children were all in school, Dorothy embarked on a new career in high-end retail sales after being trained at Neiman Marcus in Dallas and receiving awards from Stanley Marcus himself. She also managed a large military housing complex in Lubbock, TX and a store in Nucla, CO. She resumed her fashion career in the early 60’s in downtown Denver at May D & F. She also resided in Las Vegas, NV and Hollywood, CA before moving back to Colorado to be near her family.

Dorothy obtained her Real Estate License in 1975 earning a GRI through CU, and was associated with Bray and Company and Mountain Realty in Grand Junction.

Dorothy was an inveterate reader with an extensive vocabulary, and woe be to any family member who made a grammatical error in her presence. She had a voracious appetite for historical facts and politics, provoking many heated discussions on various topics. The Colorado Mountains and the various wildflowers that grow there were always a passion of hers. She spent many memorable times enjoying them with her family and friends.

Dorothy had a special relationship with her cat, Baby, a feral kitten that she adopted 13 years ago, and loved all animals. Throughout her lifetime, she volunteered with numerous organizations and was a longtime, committed friend of Bill.

Dorothy is survived by her three daughters, Pamela (Dwain) Partee, Kathy (Russ) Taylor of Grand Junction and Diane (Abbe) Lanoil of Evergreen. She is also survived by four grandchildren, Laura Johnson, Lisa Bickley and Jamie Seybold of Grand Junction and Scott Partee of Vienna, Austria; six great grandchildren, Chelsea Seybold, Lindsay Foster, Benny Johnson, Dylan Seybold, Maple Dorothy Partee , Adele Partee and one great great grandchild, Aspen. She was preceded in death by her husband, James L. Bratton, her parents, five brothers, Thomas, John, Arthur, Warren and Faye Burcham and one sister Gloria Burcham Moran, as well as many of her dear friends.

Cremation has taken place under the compassionate direction of Callahan-Edfast and a private family memorial will take place in Tennessee.

Dorothy was a 20 year breast cancer survivor, which she had battled with humor and grace. Memorial contributions to assist low income and uninsured women with mammography services may be made to St. Mary’s Hospital Foundation, P.O. Box 1628, Grand Junction, CO 81502, in memory of Dorothy B. Bratton. Farewell for now Mama, Moo, Mamoo, Mooey. We all love you and will miss you.