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Portrait of Emily Carole Branham
"Give her of the fruit of her hands; And let her own works praise her in the gates.” Proverbs 31:31

Emily Carole Branham

June 2, 1943 – October 24, 2026
Lived 83 years
Baptist
Grant Cemetery · Montebello, Virginia
Life story

Emily Carole Mays Branham, 83, Staunton, Virginia, went home to be with her Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, on Saturday, October 24, 2026.

She was born on June 2, 1943, in Rockbridge County, Virginia the daughter of Ollie Farris Mays and Emily Beatrice Cash Mays.

Emily was a member of the Copen Independent Baptist Church in Copen, West Virginia. She retired from Kroger in Gassaway, West Virginia after twenty-six years and was also a former Emergency Medical Technician and Girl Scout leader.

She enjoyed sewing, baking, reading her Bible, taking leisurely drives, traveling, and vacationing at the beach. Above all, she cherished the time spent with her family. To those who knew and loved her, Emily will forever be remembered as a loving, kind, gentle, and godly woman.

She is survived by Emily and Billy's five daughters, affectionately known as their "Branham Girls", Vanessa (JR) Wine, Candace (Dave) Blake, Lisa Branham, Tracy Branham (Jason), and Billie Jo (Daniel) Linger; her ten grandchildren, Angela (Bob) Fisher, Jessica (Todd) Lovett, Joshua (Aubrienna) Wine, Juan Dorado (Emily), Ashlie (John) Lagergren, Daniel Blake, Briana Blake (Katie), Dizzandra (Dravin) Linger-Gibson, Daniel Linger II, and Carlos Dorado (Taylor); her nineteen great-grandchildren, Haley and Bradyn Morris, Luke and Noah Lovett, Jocelyn, Jonah, Gracealyn, Samuel, and Jacob Wine, Savanna and Lexie Branham, William Alexander "Lex" and Cecilia Lagergren, Meadow Dorado, Landon and Riley Fisher, and Eric Jr. and Sarah Lopez, and Caleb Salazar, her two sisters Deanna "Denne" Smith and Julia Mays and her two brothers, Michael (Beth) Mays and Todd (Jan) Mays; numerous nieces, nephews, cousins, family, and friends; and two devoted caregivers, Susie and Chuck Newman.

Emily was preceded in death by her devoted husband and love of her life, William "Billy" Alexander Branham, Jr., who passed away on August 10, 2026. The two were united in marriage on June 2, 1961, and shared Sixty-Five wonderful years together. They enjoyed being together and were only separated for seventy-five days before being reunited in Heaven.

Also preceding Emily in death were her two brothers, Ollie F. Mays, Jr. and Ralph E. "Eddie" Mays; her two sisters, Linda C. Sweet and Rebecca L. "Becky" Reiss; and her grandson, Nathan A. Branham.

A funeral service for Emily will be held at 1:00 PM on Sunday, November 1, 2026, at Henry Funeral Home in Staunton with her pastor, Delmas Singleton officiating. The family will receive friends prior to the service beginning at 12:00 PM.

Interment will immediately follow at Grant Cemetery on Irish Creek Road in Montebello.

Henry Funeral Home has been entrusted with the arrangements.

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Lifetime

The world Emily knew

Family milestones in gold, history for context

1943
Born June 2
1945
Emily was 2 when the Slinky went on sale
1946
Emily was 3 when Tupperware was introduced
1947
Emily was 4 when Chuck Yeager broke the sound barrier
1949
Emily was 6 when Gene Autry recorded "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer"
1951
Emily was 8 when "I Love Lucy" debuted on CBS
1952
Emily was 9 when the Revised Standard Version of the Bible was published
1954
Emily was 11 when Elvis Presley recorded "That's All Right"
1955
Emily was 12 when Albert Einstein died
1956
Emily was 13 when "In God We Trust" became the national motto
1959
Emily was 16 when Barbie made her debut
1974
Emily was 31 when Richard Nixon resigned the presidency
1989
Emily was 46 when the Berlin Wall fell
1994
Emily was 51 when "Friends" premiered
2005
Emily was 62 when the first video was posted to YouTube
2026
Passed away October 24, age 83
Also resting here

The Branham name at Grant Cemetery

William Alexander Branham Jr.1943 – 2026
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