Gaye Meredith Branham

Gaye was born on March 18, 1950 in Enid, Oklahoma. She was the third child of Meredith and Claudia Branham. Their family was an Air Force family and they lived in many locations, including Oklahoma, Texas, Illinois, California, Japan and New Mexico. It was in Japan that Gaye first started school. When her father retired from the Air Force in 1963, they moved to Seattle, Washington. Gaye graduated from Lincoln High School in 1968. She then attended Shoreline Community College and then went to work for the U.S. Government at NOAA and retired after 20 years in 2004.

Gaye loved to sing and had a beautiful voice. She sang in school productions and many church choirs and also sang many solos at weddings, including at her two sisters weddings and nieces weddings. Gaye sang with the Seattle Civic Light Opera and was involved in many productions there. She was asked to sing the National Anthem at a Mariner's game. While Gaye attended church at Richmond Beach Congregational Church, she was in the choir and also joined their thespian group doing the role of "Buttercup" in HMS Pinafore and "Mrs. Potts" in Beauty and the Beast to name a few. Gaye loved to read mysteries, often sharing them with her mother. You could always find a book stuck away in her purse. Gaye was a Star Trek fan and even attended a few of their conventions. She loved to go to Disneyland and enjoyed making jewelry. Her cats were her companions and gave her great joy.

Preceding her in death is her father, Meredith Branham and sister, Sharon (Branham) McBain. She is survived by her mother, Claudia Branham and sister, Linda (Branham) Loken. In her heart, Gaye "adopted" both of her sisters' children as her own, nieces and nephew : Melissa ( McBain) Snow, Dan McBain, Erin (Loken) Randolph, Kelly (Loken) Lee and Amy (Loken) Minugh. She will be missed by many great-nieces and nephews and two uncles, Troy Branham (Donna) and Ray Branham (Diane). Her bright smile, laughter and her love of life will greatly be missed by family and friends.