Arlene Branen

Arlene Pruett Branen was born August 17, 1939, in Vinita, to Charley Wayne and Grace Smith Pruett. She passed away Monday, January 17, 2022, in Bentonville, AR, at the age of 83. Her parents owned the Twin Bridges Store, five miles east of Delaware, OK.

Visitation will be from noon to 8:00 pm, Friday, January 21, 2022, at the Collinsville Dolton Funeral Home. The family will be present from 5:00 pm to 7:00 pm.

Funeral services will be 2:00 pm, Saturday, January 22, 2022 at the First Baptist Church in Collinsville with Rev. Bill Haynes offciating. Interment will be at Ridgelawn Cemetery.

The service will be streamed at www.fbccollinsville.org and on the First Baptist Church Facebook and YouTube pages.

Arlene attended Twin Bridges Community Church. She was baptized in Big Creek at the rope bridge. Her childhood was spent being her dad’s right-hand helper, raising 300 head of Brahman cattle, plus goats, hogs, horses, donkeys and caring for the pear orchard. She helped him bale hay at a time when it took several people just to run the baler and she raked hay with a pickup. When she was 13 her dad died of a heart attack. Quickly she stepped into a bigger role on the farm. After school every day she and her mother would load as many as 75 bales of hay on the truck to feed the livestock. Riding horses and having goat ropings on the weekends were activities she enjoyed. When daughter Vicki and her husband Dee began having ropings, Arlene helped every summer Friday and Saturday nights for 17 years.

This lady has almost always been in the driver’s seat, not just because her mother could not drive at that time. By driving, that meant tractors, grain trucks, farm equipment, station wagons and the family car, which happened to be a green 1949 Studebaker two-ton truck! Her family is proud to say that she could drive anything like “nobody’s business”.

After graduating from Childress School in 1958 Arlene set off for Tulsa and life as a career girl. She moved into the YWCA and later lived with her sister, Wanda and brother-in-law, Brownie Pearsall. After taking some business courses and other classes at Tulsa Community College, she went to work for Spartan Travel Trailers, where she was responsible for the keeping track of mileage on deliveries of travel trailers to the west coast.

Two years after that, Arlene became a loan officer at Interstate Securities. Every morning, she stopped for coffee at Jake’s Coffee Shop. It was there that a lifelong friendship and work relationship developed with George Cathey. He recognized her potential and told her to come see him if she ever needed a job. Little did she know that upon entering the door at Cathey’s for the first time she would work there 30 years, first as a bookkeeper and then as office manager. She kept up with 30 employees and over $1 million dollars in inventory. The Cathey family became a second family for Arlene. In 1995, the birth of Michaela, the first of her nine grandchildren, signified the end of one career and opened the door to her favorite job: “Grandma”.

Family ties were very important, beginning in Arlene’s early childhood and lasting all through her life. She loved time with her grandparents and her cousins. Listening to Elvis with her cousins and nieces was a favorite pastime. They maintained close ties all their lives. Her Smith and Pruett relatives instilled in Arlene the importance of living up to high standards from the time when she was very young. She was taught to do the right thing and always to do her very best. She learned from the example of those around her—as well as from the consequences--if her efforts did not measure up!

The closeness and high standards of the Branen family must have seemed only natural when she married Jerry. Memories of three rambunctious little boys include more than a few times when their standards did not quite meet those of their mother. And according to Mike, Steve and Stan, there WERE consequences.

When Arlene met Jerry, she was driving a 1957 Cadillac. Brownie told her to buy gas at East Side Filling Station (located where the Sonic is now) so she could get S&H Green Stamps. This is where she first encountered a tall, handsome, blonde guy who was more than happy to help this willowy brunette with the fancy car and pass out the Green Stamps. He copied her phone number from her check and romance was in the air. Arlene was determined to marry a city boy and leave the farm work to someone else. They were married April 9, 1960, in the Collinsville Community Church. When Jerry passed on January 19, 2021, they had been married 60 years. They lived in the same house since 1960.

From this union came Vicki, 1964; Mike, 1967; Steve, 1970; and Stan, 1971. In addition to the responsibilities of her job at Cathey’s Fine Furniture, Arlene found herself back on a farm again. The marriage experienced a lot of “first” events. The first year Jerry farmed she used her vacation time and scooped wheat. She also told Jerry to buy a grain auger before next time. When she was pregnant with Vicki, she and Jerry worked together to put up the first grain tank—and they survived! The first year they had land at Big Creek she brought Vicki and Mike with her in their car seats. They rode along with her to and from Talala with each load. At one time Jerry and Arlene farmed over 1000 acres and had 250 head of cattle. Their children all learned how to be team players and work together. Today, that farm is the oldest registered farm in Rogers County.

They also owned several gas stations and a wrecker service with Bass Corbin. In retrospect, Arlene thought they should have kept the gas stations because the Branen vehicles were always on empty. More than once Bass informed them that cars were not like babies. They could not be weaned. Of course, some of the family operated on the principle of “Why lock them when they are on empty?”. Probably not up to Arlene’s high standards…

For 20 years she looked forward to an annual event that took her away from home and family for just a short time. Her adventure was a “great girls’ escape” that refreshed her in ways that nothing else could. Arlene and friends made their trips to Canton, TX, just for fun. This group included daughter, Vicki, Carolyn Smith, Margie Ford, and daughters-in-law Kelly and Betsy. These times were filled with laughter, love and the joy of being with good friends.

Growing up, the kids always had babysitters until Vicki was old enough to watch the boys. Arlene’s rules were hard and fast. If they wanted to watch TV at night, they had to have the house cleaned and the shag carpet raked when she arrived home after work. She brought them a box of shag carpet rakes and informed them, “When you wear these out, I get new carpet!” Well, they still have some of the rakes, but Arlene got her new carpet.

One of her teenage memories was seeing electricity installed in her family home. Unfortunately, Arlene didn’t say “Thank you” and did not get a light in her room.

Arlene and Jerry took great pride in their children and all that they have accomplished: two Eagle Scouts, four State Farmer Degrees, two Northeast District Star Farmer Degrees. In 1982, Vicki was the first girl chosen for the NE District Star Farmer. Three Branens earned American Farmer Degrees and one received the Western Regional National Honor. They earned four college degrees, showed numerous Grand Championship cattle and received many Showmanship Awards.

Not only that, Jerry and Arlene raised their children to “work hard and play later”. Growing up, they always had to get the combining work done before going to Lead Hill, AR, for their 4th of July family vacation. Then they had to get the hay done and the ground worked for wheat before going back to school in August. Arlene made sure they did not have time to get into trouble because they were too tired!

She was also a huge supporter of Boy Scout Troop 95, Collinsville FFA and the Collinsville FFA Alumni. She worked in the concession stands at the Tri-County Fair, attended state and national FFA conventions frequently and could put FFA scrapbooks together with her eyes closed, literally staying up all night to meet deadlines.

If they were proud of their children’s many accomplishments over the years, they were doubly proud of their nine grandchildren. The two of them were the biggest cheerleaders no matter what activity involved their grandkids. Baseball, softball, football, basketball, soccer, showing cattle, 4-H and FFA—all had Arlene and Jerry on the sidelines helping, cheering, supporting in any way they could.

Arlene was a faithful member of the Collinsville Community Church for more than 50 years. She served as treasurer for 25 years and even chaired the board at one time. She was a very valuable asset to the church for many reasons.

In 1977, when Jerry had back surgery, he put CBs on the tractors so he could talk back and forth with the crew. He also put one in Arlene’s station wagon. She aptly chose the handle of “Pencil Pusher”!

Survivors include one daughter, Vicki and her husband, Dee West, of Lenapah; three sons: Mike and Susan Branen; Steve and Kelly Branen; and Stan and Betsy Branen, all of Collinsville. Her nine grandchildren are Michaela Branen, Lyndee Branen Springer and her husband, Ethan; Kaylynn, Julie, Jake, Laney, Justin Branen; Bodee West and Ty Branen. She is also survived by her sister-in-law Louise Pruett, Bartlesville; sister and brother-in-law Elaine and Gerald Coulter, Lake Kiowa, TX; numerous cousins, nephews and nieces. She was preceded in death by her parents, her brother, Egee Pruett and sister, Wanda Pearsall.

When it came to her family, Arlene did everything possible to “make it happen for them”. Birthdays and holidays were huge celebrations. She told them, when looking back, that life’s rough times were often the best times. Arlene enjoyed her family and always kept her house clean with everything in place. Her kids learned to sleep with the vacuum cleaner running every night before she went to bed. When anyone in the family needed Arlene or Jerry they were always there on the sidelines doing whatever was necessary.
“Thanks, Mom, you always made it happen no matter what was going on in your or Daddy’s lives.”