Obituary of Eleanor Louise Braman

Eleanor Louise (Linman) Braman, age 80, died Sunday at Fairhaven Nursing Home in Whitewater. Ellie, as she was known to friends and family, was born to Salmer Linman and Helen (Wessel) Linman�of Monmouth, IL on Dec 15, 1933. She was a�kind and gentle soul who followed her mother's footsteps�into the field of nursing. After graduating from nursing school, she worked at the VA Hospital�in Milwaukee, where she met her husband�Jerry on a blind date set up by good friends. The two fell in love and were married on October 27, 1957 at First Lutheran Church in Monmouth, IL. After living briefly in Brookfield, the couple moved to Fort Atkinson, where they lived�until Jerry's death in 2010.�Ellie worked at Fort Atkinson Memorial Hospital for many years, spending most of her career in the Emergency and�Recovery Rooms, touching so many lives�in the community. She was a skilled and�dedicated nurse, setting an example which both of her daughters have�followed. Ellie and Jerry met difficult times in their lives with unending�humor and an incredible amount of love.�They�were�often seen�holding hands and kissing like newlyweds, and were fortunate enough�to celebrate their 50th wedding anniversary in 2007. She was a proud and supportive mother of four, attending countless sporting events and school activities, saving newspaper clippings, volunteering on committees, and hosting two AFS students - Shogo Shirasaki from Japan and Nadia Maradiaga from Honduras. Ellie loved sports,�and played basketball and softball while in high school. She enjoyed watching�football, basketball and baseball.�She was a great fan of the Packers, and had a tradition of�calling her brother Bob�after�every Packers/Bears game to gloat over a win or laugh at a loss -�a tradition she�continued with her son, Todd, after Packer/Vikings games. Ellie�was an avid�gardener and loved crossword and�jigsaw puzzles. She�loved bird watching�and kept several feeders. She always had�binoculars and a copy of Birds of North America handy just in case�an unusual species came by for dinner. Her most cherished days were those she spent at the family cottage in Eagle River�-�reading mysteries, fishing, enjoying the wildlife,�and�drinking in�the serenity of Squash Lake. Ellie will be deeply�missed by her children, Cynthia (Mike) Miller�of Jefferson; Todd (Cheryl) Braman of New Brighton, MN; Christopher (Taj Lawler) Braman of Washington, D.C.; Laura (Andrew) Braman-Wanek of Madison;�and grandchildren, Mackenzye, Wyatt, Alex, Isaiah, and Gaia. She was preceded in death by her husband, Gerald, sister Evelyn Roseander, brothers Robert Linman and�Gerald Linman. A celebration of Ellie's life is scheduled for�Sunday, September 21, at 1:00 pm, with a visitation preceding�at�11:30 am�at Nitardy Funeral Home in Fort Atkinson. Per family wishes, memorials may be�directed to Fairhaven Nursing Home Memorial Fund. Her family wishes to thank Dr. Kidd and�the staff at Fairhaven�where Ellie received outstanding care and love for the last 3 years.