Delia Anita Brannin
Delia Anita Brannin was born August 12, 1899, the 13th child of Stanton Strother Brannin & Guadelupe Villanueva. She was born at the mining camp near Silver City, Montana. She was called Babe, which stuck with her all her life. It wasn't until her father's death that she was officially named - after two of her nieces.
She was a horse wrangler and horse midwife for her brother, Dick, on the ranch. Her brother, Sid was a champion bronc rider, but she could still outride him bareback. Being a ranch hand, she lacked in cooking skills. But that would be something that she would muster very soon.
Anita met Bud Ward. He was a little Englishman in a horrible gray suit & a stupid little cloth hat. But he won her heart! After marrying, they moved further into the mountains where Bud and his partner, Ernest Parker, ran a sawmill. It is here that 'Nita learned to cook meals for her family, friends and lumberjacks. She could put out a full spread in no time.
Her grandkids knew her better as "Gommie". She made each one think they were special. She was very protective of her family and wouldn't tolerate any harsh words about any of them. She loved fine china. Whenever we visited she would let each of us pick any tea cup we wanted to use. She never even said, "Don't break it."
One day, in her later years, an insurance man came to see her. He asked her age. She responded by clicking her teeth together and said, "Look at my teeth." That's how they would tell how old horses were on the ranch, so surely it worked for people, too (at least for those that had their own teeth).
Gommie left this world April 30, 1991. She left behind a great heritage of family, values and commitment. She was a survivor, and has passed that trait on to many of her descendants.
picture: Delia Anita Brannin