Marion "Taffy" Branham, 96 of DeLand passed away January 5, 2020 at AdventHeath DeLand. She was born in New York City on September 12, 1923. She came to Florida in 1946 as a stewardess for National Airlines, based in Miami. She met and married her husband there and had two sons, Richard, Jr. and Greg and lived in several locations in Florida in Orlando and Palm Beach. Her hobbies included golf, oil painting, flower arranging and she enjoyed traveling, playing bridge and volunteer work. She was a member of DeLand Gardens Club and was a past president. She was also a former member of DeLand County Club, The Museum of Florida Art and the Museum Guild. She studied painting and sculpture at Lock Haven Museum of Art in Orlando, and continued her studies when she retired to Mexico for six years at Instituto Allende in San Miguel, Allende and stained glass at Bellas Artes with her mentor Katie Ingraham, the art critic for the Mexico City News, who arranged several one person Exhibitions for her in Ajijic and Chapala. She was honored by the Guadalajara Museum of Art as one of the six best American painters in Mexico at that time. She returned to Florida in 1980 and settled in DeLand. She was predeceased by her husband and is survived by her two sons. A memorial service will be held on Thursday, January 16th at 11am at Allen-Summerhill Memorial Chapel in DeLand. Online condolences may be made at
www.allensummerhill.com. Allen-Summerhill DeLand is in charge of arrangements.