Betty Lou Brayton
Betty Lou Brayton died on December 09, 2015. She was born June 19, 1928 in Seattle, WA. Growing up with her brother Wally and parents Anna Ruth and Walter instilled from an early age the importance of family during their time together at home in Seattle and Whidbey Island or a trip to visit extended family in Victoria, British Columbia. She graduated from Roosevelt High School and took advantage of stenography courses that would serve her well throughout her administrative career. Following graduation from high school, Betty married and her children Bill and Linda were born. Later, as a single mom, Betty made sure to give her kids a memorable life with camping excursions on Lake Chelan, boat trips on Lake Washington and a fun filled home. Betty met Darryl Merritt Brayton at the Feather Duster where she had stopped by to catch a news program segment honoring her dad for his service at the Olympic Hotel in Seattle. Darryl and Betty married in 1962. The family grew to include Darryl's children Sherri and Loren and Darryl adopted Bill and Linda. Darryl's profession as a geologist took their young and growing family to the birth of their son Dwight in Casper, then daughter Darice in Denver and Kelley in Calgary before finally settling in Spokane, Washington in 1977. Betty always led the charge to transition any move to a new location into making a welcoming home. Acquaintances soon became friends with her warmth, thoughtfulness, friendly and fun loving ways. She valued her deep and close friendships that spanned decades. Family was everything to Betty. Her greatest role in life was that of mom, first and foremost whether it was preparing home cooked meals, cheering on her son's hockey games or being a "band mom" for daughters participating in U-High marching band. Most importantly, her children knew they were loved and supported. She was their true North. Whether it was for birthday celebrations, graduations, weddings, trips, Thanksgiving holiday gathering or tree trimming at Christmas; Betty was in her element with her family. She let her children know how to live life and appreciate the beauty of simple pleasures and smell the roses along the way. Betty knew the value of doing a job well done with pride, integrity and commitment and it shone through her career whether at Boeing, University of Calgary, Aramco and Home Interiors. New adventures awaited Betty when Darryl accepted a position with Aramco oil company in Dhahran, Saudi Arabia in 1981. She dove right into expat community life and in no time was leading outings to the souks of Dammam and Khobar and was a masterful negotiator and shopper! She loved to travel with family which included road trips in Vermont, throughout the Pacific Northwest and California. Further afield, she loved the warm and tropical climates of Hawaii, Mexico and Caribbean; exploring the night markets of Hong Kong, taking the Shinkansen bullet train in Japan, having a Singapore sling at Raffles Hotel, visiting temples in Thailand; tracing her ancestry in England and Ireland; a family road trip through Austria and the autobahn and cruising on the Rhine River in Germany; visit to the Greek islands, a wine festival in Cyprus; and enjoying countless cups of tea endeared her with new friends in Istanbul, Turkey. Life was an adventure meant to be lived. One of Betty's most admirable qualities was her strength and "can do" spirit and was never stopped or deterred by anything - whether it was polio as a child or near blindness in her later years. In her final days, she was surrounded by people who loved her deeply and many phone calls of support. So many will remember the amazing life that she lived. She is survived by her sons Bill, Dwight and daughters Linda, Brayton Butler, Darice and Kelley Brayton; stepchildren Sheree and Loren Brayton and many beloved grandchildren, great-grandchildren and great-great-grandchildren as well as extended family and friends throughout the Northwest and British Columbia. Visitation will be held at Thornhill Valley Chapel, 1400 S. Pines Rd., Spokane, Washington, December 15, 2015 5:00-7:00 pm Services will be held at Redeemer Lutheran Church, 3606 S. Schafer Rd., Spokane Valley, WA on December 16th, at 2pm. Burial will be at Evergreen Washelli (Seattle) on December 21st at 10am. In lieu of flowers, please make a donation to Lilac Services for the Blind