Francena Bramell

1931-2009

Francena E. Bramell, 77, of Springdale died Thursday, July 9, 2009.
She was born Dec. 29, 1931, in Endicott, N.Y., to Morris A. Swackhammer and Beaulah J. Young Swackhammer. She served in the U.S. Air Force, was a member of the Church on the Rock in Yellville and was a member of Fayetteville Athletic Club.

She was preceded in death by her husband, H.L. Bramell.
Survivors include five sons, Benjamin E. Pugsley, Bernerd L. Pugsley, Robert E. Pugsley, Dennis D. Pugsley and Lee E. Bramell; a daughter, Dee Ellsworth; a stepdaughter, Mavis Anne Edwards; two stepsons, James E. Bramell and Barton L. Bramell; 24 grandchildren; and 15 great-grandchildren.

A memorial service will be held at 10 a.m. today (July 11) at First Christian Church in Fayetteville with the Rev. Kevin Duffy officiating.

Memorials can be made to the American Cancer Society, 3291 S. Thompson, Suite D-104, Springdale, AR 72764; or Turpentine Creek Wildlife Refuge, 239 Turpentine Creek Lane, Eureka Springs, AR 72432.

Cremation arrangements were by Beard's Funeral Chapel and Crematory in Fayetteville. To sign the online guest book, go to www.beardsfuneralchapel.com.

We love the Poppers!

So FUN! This was Becca's first try at the Poppers. She is a real pro now, after the long holiday and lots of practice.

Summer Fun

Aunt Dee got Becca this great little pool to keep at Grandma's house. Of course, we had to try it out. I think Fergie likes it too! Check out this sweet video of the girls playing with the water hose.

More posting to come soon, I promise. We have a lot to catch up on. 4th of July was great! We saw some wonderful fireworks from Tracy's deck in Batesville.

Update

Ok, so the stupid Blogger still won't let me upload the pics. I will try to email someone and complain tomorrow.

In the meantime, wanted to let everyone know that Francena is having a good week. She is so much better than last week! She is getting strength back and eating better. She will go see the oncologist in the morning, so keep your fingers crossed for some encouraging news. Annette is staying with her the rest of this week, then we are going to take over next week.

We had a nice time during the Pugsley invasion last week, just sorry that their mom wasn't feeling better. You gotta watch those folks and their ladder ball. I have some photos to share, once this darn thing is working. I may have to spend my entire weekend blogging just to catch up.

Good night.

Pictures Only

Well, it let me put up 2 pictures. That's a start. More to come...

Playing catch up

Oh, where to begin?? I know, I know....it's been a long time since the last post. Let me explain. We have a 2-year-old. There. Well, a 2-year-old who wants to stay outside every single minute of the day, which doesn't leave much time for blogging parents.

And if you want more reasons, I have them. This week all of Lee's siblings (his mom's kids) are visiting. This is a visit they've had planned for several months and it's very exciting. It's the first time that all 6 of them have been together in the same place in almost 20 years. Crazy!

On a serious note, we are very thankful the kids are all here because Francena is having a bad week. Her health seems to be declining very quickly and we are all worried. We don't know much right now, but she has an appointment with her oncologist next week. Please pray for her and that she won't be uncomfortable.

Here are the last of the vacation pictures. It is SO HOT here today, that it made me think about the last day we were in Fairfield Bay. Lee played golf so I took Becca to the puppet show in town--and that place didn't have A/C!!! This sweet little old couple "played" the puppets. Becca sat so still and really watched--of course, she kept saying "Muppet Show" but she was not disappointed. And after the puppet show I took her to the playground, where she managed to skin up her legs about 10 times!! I just can't imagine where she gets her gracefulness??



Note: The stupid site is not letting me load the pics, so I'll add them later in a new post.

Vacation, Part II

This is the day we took the boat ride. These fish were hanging around the marina, so we let Becca feed them. I think she liked it, but she didn't like getting her hands dirty. You can see her wipe them on her shirt a lot! She talked about the fish a lot for the next few days.

There are a few more vacation pictures; I'll get them posted soon.