Maria Branham

Funeral services for Maria Branham, 100, will be held at 11:00 a.m. on Thursday, March 9, 2023 at Lexington Baptist Church with interment following at 1:00 p.m. at Fort Jackson National Cemetery. The family will receive friends from 10:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. prior to the service at the church. The service will be live streamed through our Facebook page, Lexington: Facebook.com/LexingtonChapel

Maria (Ada Marie Keeney) Branham went to be with her Lord and Savior Jesus Christ on March 1, 2023 at her home in Lexington, SC. She was nearly 101 years old and was the wife of the late Toddy DiBlasi of Waterbury, CT and the late Don Carlos Branham of Charleston, WV. Maria was born on June 14, 1922 in Prenter, WV to the late Asa Addison Keeney and Stella Gladys (Halstead) Keeney. She outlived her eight siblings: Helen Keeney (stillborn) of Prenter, Boone County, Kenneth Julian Keeney of Titusville, FL (Tharon Nutter), Cecil Keeney of Tennessee, Cyril Alvin Keeney of Prenter, WV, Glady Irene Kenney of Prenter, Boone County, Reginald Keith Keeney of Prenter, Boone County (Christine), Mayme (Kenney) Yon of Charleston, WV and Kermit Keeney (Doris) of Seth, Boone County, WV. Maria leaves four children and one stepdaughter: Mary Mady of Venice, FL, Mark DiBlasi of Lexington, SC, Denise Brindamour of Coventry, RI, Michael DiBlasi of Portland, OR and Pam Booth of Gilbert, AZ. She is predeceased by her son, David DiBlasi and her stepdaughter, Betty Yerta. Besides her children and stepdaughter, Maria leaves 4 grandchildren: Timothy Brindamour of Santa Barbara, CA, Amy Joy Carlton (Edward Anthony Carlton Sr.) of Lexington, SC (who cared for Maria in Maria’s home for seven years with their 10 children: Edward Jr., Scott, Toddy, Isaac, Colby, Caleb, Thatcher, Greta, Tucker and Willem), John Brindamour of Narragansett, RI, and Brian DiBlasi of Irmo, SC; five step-grandchildren, 17 great grandchildren and four step-great grandchildren.

Maria and Toddy lived in Watertown, CT, in two homes built by Toddy. Maria was a homemaker until Toddy’s death on January 11, 1960 when she and Toddy were 37 years old. As a widow, Maria cleaned houses, babysat children at her home, worked as a cook at Cheshire Nursing Home in Cheshire, CT and at two summer camps. In 1965, Maria returned to school at the University of Connecticut to become a home economics teacher and in 1966 moved her family to RI to complete her Home Economics degree at the University of Rhode Island, graduating in 1972. She held teaching positions at Coventry High School and at Cranston East High School as a home economics teacher.

In 1975, Don Branham lost his wife and Maria wrote him a note of condolence. He responded to her note and they later married, living in her house in North Kingstown, RI until Don lost his job at Electric Boat in 1977 and they moved to Newport News, VA where Don obtained an engineering position at Electric Boat in 1978. They lived in Virginia for 18 years before moving back to RI in 1996. They lived there for eight years and then moved to their final home in Lexington, SC to be near her son, Mark, who also cared for Maria and Don in their home for nine years before Amy moved there to care for her.

Maria loved home decorating, oil painting, cooking and entertaining guests. She enjoyed designing and maintaining beautiful flower gardens and braiding rugs. Maria will be missed by her friends and neighbors. While married to Don Branham, they traveled to several countries and all 50 United States of America.

Memorials may be made to Lexington Baptist Church.

Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.caughmanlexington.com for the Branham family.