Living

Living married Living [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes:

His address in 1938, at the time he completed a form SS-5, was 175 W. 188 Street in New York City. He was employed by Postal Telegraph. The names of his parents are based on this record, and have been confirmed through census records.

On March 14, 1942, shortly before his twentieth birthday, he enlisted in the U. S. Army. He was a resident of Queens, New York. He had completed four years of high school, and was employed as a bellman. He was single, with no dependents, and was 5 Feet 8 Inches tall, and weighed 148 pounds.

Eugene married Margaret Cecily "Maggie" Wilson on 24 Aug 1946 in Hollis, Queens County, New York. Margaret (daughter of Robert Sudbury Wilson and Evelyn Mary Eastwood) was born on 9 Aug 1927 in Sale, Cheshire, England; died on 22 Jan 2009 in Houston, Harris County, Texas. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes:

Margaret Cecily Bramhall

MARGARET CECILY BRAMHALL passed away 1/22/09. She was born in Sale Cheshire, England on Aug. 9, 1927, and was preceded in death by her husband of 49 years Eugene Bramhall. She is survived by 6 children: Eileen Hav?, Teresa Oberholtzer, Ann Bramhall, James Bramhall, Elizabeth Childres & William Bramhall, their spouses, 8 grandchildren & 5 great-grandchildren. The Memorial service will be held at St Paul's United Methodist Church on 1/26/09 at 1:00. We will always love you Maggie.

(Published in the Houston Chronicle on 1/25/2009)

Margaret Cecily Wilson Bramhall was born Aug. 9, 1927 in Sale Chesire, England. She died Jan. 22, 2009 here in Houston. She was preceded in death by her husband of 49 years Eugene Andrew Bramhall. She is survived by her 6 children Eileen, Teresa, Ann, Jim, Liz, and Billy; 8 grandchildren of whom the 4 in Houston are able to be here: Ryan and Haley Bramhall, and William and Alex Childres; 5 great-grandchildren; 2 honorary granddaughters Ashley Childres Worley and Amber Childres, her brother Bernard, and many friends lots of whom are here.

By all accounts and any criteria, Maggie was a tremendous person. All who knew her loved her and she loved them. While she was a proper, and often stubborn, English lady, she was also lively and memorable. 100 lbs. soaking wet, she commanded the attention and respect and engendered the love of those she encountered.

She was known for her sometimes cryptic English expressions which are family lore. "I'm not as green as I am cabbage looking" was one of them. Another was "I might as well as wish I hadda done." "Bob's your uncle" and "laughing turns to crying" were yet others. One that has stuck with most everyone is "show me your friend, and I'll tell you what you are" which is good advice at any age.

Maggie and Gene and their expanding brood lived all over the world as Gene's work took them to far-flung places. During an economic downturn when his job was not in demand, Maggie went to work and helped keep the family together. She was not afraid of hard tasks and instilled in her children that same sense - people who keep clean houses and iron all clothes. A child of the depression, she did not believe in frivolous or virtually any spending. She was always for putting up and setting aside "the best" and saving it for another day.

Maggie was a good sport. She crawled through the doggie door at Liz and Scott's on a dare, a feat which fortunately did not land the Childreses in trouble with Adult Protective Services. She also was notorious for taking out her teeth and losing them in inopportune spots, like napkins, pockets and dogs' mouths. And while she never wore pants, they did get her in a pair of exercise shorts which she wore long enough to be photographed. Denise talked of a time that Maggie went to Ashley's teenaged birthday party and rode in a limousine which blared loud contemporary music. When Denise apologized to Maggie for the din, Maggie said she'd learned early on that she could endure anything for a short period of time and she might as well be kind and pleasant. Denise chose Maggie right then and there as her role model.

Maggie was a bright light shining through her and our lives. She was referred to by many different terms of endearment: Mom, Grandma, Sweetie, Old Girl, and one in particular that her husband Gene used to call her: Maggie, Me Love. It occurred to me that linking Maggie to love was a wonderful happenstance. Maggie was a tremendously loving woman. She devoted her life to love. Growing up she loved her family. During the war, when Gene showed up in England at a dance Maggie attended with her sister, Maggie and Gene fell in love. After the war, at the age of 18, Maggie, by herself, journeyed to the states to be Gene's bride. Her 49 years of marriage were filled with love, including the last several of Gene's life when she single-handedly cared for him after his stroke. She loved her family - her two families - first the 3 girls Eileen, Teresa, and Ann and then 10 years later her second batch of Jim, Liz, and Billy. Of course, William and Alex, with whom she lived throughout their lives, plus others also benefited from her maternal care. Her love for all was evident, tough though it was. Liz remembers that in high school she was expected to be in the house by 6 or dark whichever was earlier - no Bramhall was going to be out at night. And despite Maggie's strictness, everyone wanted her to be their mother. She loved people and they loved her.

The love Maggie displayed was both kind and gentle and tenacious and?b? ?/b?enduring. In our scripture readings from today, we have the familiar words from the Apostle Paul about love. This passage from First Corinthians 13 seemed to be appropriate for Maggie, as we reflected on her life. Her love wasn't soft and sentimental; it was strong and powerful. She manifested love wherever she went. People knew instantly that Maggie was a person to be trusted; she met no strangers. Just as she loved people, others fell in love with her. Always in a dress, with her trademark pearls, she shone.

She understood what Paul talked about in describing love because it was the way she lived. She knew love as described: "Love is patient; love is kind; love is not envious or boastful or arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice in wrongdoing, but rejoices in the truth. It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never ends."

Our faith tells us that Maggie is in a better place. There she is reunited with those who have gone before and there she prays for those of us left living. God who created her and loves her, has drawn her there. The person who lived all but the last weeks of her life in good health, is healthy and vibrant once again.

May we who are left to mourn Maggie, remember her life as a celebration of love. May we draw closer to one another and share life as beloved companions. And that ultimately is what living is about. Let us remember her shining example as we seek to create our own. When you take the best of what you have experienced, may Maggie be your guide. She was the best. God bless her, God bless you. Amen.

Prepared by
Gail Williford
Minister of Spiritual Formation and Discipleship
St. Paul's United Methodist Church
Houston, Texas

Notes:

Married:
Maggie and Gene met at a dance during World War II. After the war, at the age of 18, Maggie, by herself, journeyed to the states to marry him. Hailey Bramhall located the paperwork her grandmother complted upon her first entry into the United States on the "New York, Passenger Lists, 1820-1957" on AncestryLibrary.com. Maggie's completed information sheet shows that she arrived by air (Pan American Airways), departing from London on August 4, 1946 and arriving in New York on that same day. She was 19 years old, and her destination was 109-06 Richland Avenue, Flushing, Long Island, New York, the home of her fiancee, Mr. E. A. Bramhall. She was described as 5 feet, 3 inches, with a fresh complexion, brown hair, and blue eyes. She reported her occupation as clerk. Her last personal residence was 63 Essex Road, Romford, England. Her stated purposed of coming to New York was Marriage, and she stated her intent to become a permant resident. She had $50 with her at arrival.

Notes:

Buried at the Long Island National Cemetery, 2040 Wellwood Avenue, Farmingdale, NY, Section 2g Site 4987. Service Info: Baker 1/C US Navy, World War I

(Research):
Census Information:

1930 Federal Census
New York, New York, Bronx, District 601
Bramhall, George Head M W Rent $40 age 33 Married @ 24 Nebraska New York Missouri Ticket Agent
Bramhall, Violet Wife F W age 28 Married @ 19 New York New York New York
Bramhall, Eugene Son M W age 8 New York New York New York
Bramhall, Ferne Daug. F W age 6 New York New York New York

George + Violet Margaret Kelly. Violet (daughter of Thomas Joseph Kelly and Mary Veronica McKenna) was born on 12 Jul 1901 in New York County, New York; died on 14 Sep 1994; was buried on 16 Sep 1994 in Long Island National Cemetery, Farmingdale, Suffolk County, New York. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes:

VIOLET M BRAMHALL 12 Jul 1901 14 Sep 1994 10590 (South Salem, Westchester, NY) (none specified) 110-03-3093 New York

According to her Form SS-5, Violet Kelly Bramhall was born on July 12, 1901 in New York City, New York to Thomas Joseph KELLY and Mary Veronica McKENNY. In December of 1936, at the age of 16, she applied for her social security number, and was living at 175 W. 188 Street in the Bronx, and working at the Whitehall Lunch Club at 17 Battery Place.

Notes:

England & Wales, Free BMD Birth Index, 1837-1915
Robert Sudbury Wilson
Jul-Aug-Sep 1891
Registration District Altrincham
Inferred County Cheshire
Vol. 8a
Page 170

Mike Bennett noted that Robert Wilson served at the Somme. This battle took place during the First World War between 1 July and 18 November 1916 on either side of the river Somme in France. The battle saw the British Expeditionary Force mount a joint offensive, with the French Army against the German Army, which had occupied large areas of France since its invasion of the country in August 1914. The Battle of the Somme was one of the largest battles of the war; by the time fighting paused in late autumn 1916, the forces involved had suffered more than 1 million casualties, making it one of the bloodiest military operations ever recorded.

Robert married Evelyn Mary Eastwood on 27 Oct 1917 in Chorlton, Lancashire, England. Evelyn (daughter of Robert Eastwood and Helen Evelyn Collins) was born on 17 Jan 1895 in Salford, Greater Manchester, Lancashire, England; died on 14 Jun 1976 in Romford, Essex, England. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]