When I was born in February 1958, my father drove a Sunliner convertible with a ripped top. Earl and Mr Tommy Seay offered to bring me home from the hospital. They spent many years dressing me up in lace and chiffon as if I was their own child. Kindness & generousity didn't end there..Earl hosted a graduation/engagement dinner at the Nations in 1976, and put together a beautiful wedding reception at Orions Roof in Cavalier which fell through because I was a run away bride.
Although I lost touch over the years, my folks and Earl went back to the mid 1950's. He was loved & will be missed..With Much Love & Sympathy to all his family & friends.

I am deeply saddened by your loss of Mr. Earl. He was such a great friend of mine and helped me make it through my divorce. He and I would walk and walk our dogs together. My dog just passed on and his dog lived a long time too. But Earl was such an outstanding Christian and a great friend to me, I will miss him.

To all of Mr. Branche's relatives, I am so sorry to hear of your loss. He was obviously a very special uncle. As a child, I lived across the street from "Miss Lillian" in Ivor and was excited to see the large group at her annual family reunion. She frequently visited with my mother, Barbara, and I, of course, listened to many of their conversations. Miss Lillian always spoke very fondly of all of her nieces and nephews. I'm sure you all were glad that Mr. Branche continued the family gatherings at the old family home. I introducted myself to him at the Ivor Centennial celebration a few years ago and shared a few memories with him. He was very gracious and I'm sure he will be greatly missed. Sincerely, Brenda Rawls

What a wonderful host Earl was on my trip to Virginia Beach. Earl's family and friends are lifted up in prayer in Abingdon.

i attend ivor baptist church and i also am a deacon there and it was always nice to see the branche family come in for preaching on the day of their reunion they always looked so happy i am so sorry for your loss and he will be remembered.

We enjoyed having Earl as a friend and customer for many years. He was the epitome of a true southern gentleman, with a wicked sense of humor. We at Bobi's hair salon will miss him for a long time.

THE END OF AN ERA~ i will miss talking with him about his childhood in Ivor. He was right across the street from my mother LURLINE and SHIRLEY JONES.they were childhood friends,and he would tell me stories about the old days in IVOR.it was a comfort to talk to him ,and find out things about my aunt and mother ,when they were little kids. i know that the family will take comfort in knowing that he is at rest, safe in the arms of JESUS~

I will always remember Earl with a smile on his face and laughter in his voice. Wishing him the very best in his new life!

I will miss my dear friend Earl, What a blessing to know him. We had many wonderful times together. We would meet up at the dog park on Baltic ave. I'm sure he his with Junior again. He was so very kind to me as I struggled through a very trying time with my Beloved son who passed away in January. He would come and visit with us in the hospital and was such a source of comfort to my sad heart. I loved him dearly as did all who knew him. MY sincere condolences to his family.

This news saddens me so much. I have known Earl for about 50 years,since the Nations room days. He was a very dear friend for all of those years. As happens with friends we did not see or talk much the last few years, but when we did it was special.

To Earls family, Please know my prayers and thoughts are with you now and always. It is a much better place we are in ,because of Earl, having been here.........Sincerely,Charlie Brooks, Port Charlotte, Fl.........

Sympathies to Earl's family and friends. I have known Earl since childhood when he and his Dad lived down the block from our family on Morris Avenue. Earl and my Mom, Mary worked together at the Army base in Norfolk during WWII. I remember Mom and Earl sitting on our front porch sipping iced tea on summer afternoons and talking and laughing together for hours on end. Many special occasions as I was growing up (birthdays, anniversaries, prom nights) were spent wherever Earl was working at the time from The Nations' Room to The Hilton because he always took such good care of us (and the BEST table side Caesar salad on the planet). He and I were fighting a similar battle with our health and I would see him often as our doctor's appointments always seemed to coincide. He was an inspiration to me as he handled his fight with grace, dignity and determination due to his great reverence for life. I will miss him greatly. As they say in my Greek Orthodox tradition "May his memory be eternal".

My condolences to the Branche family on the passing of Earl (my first cousin, once removed). Grandmother Lutie Joseph Branche Drewry was Herbert's sister. Earl always attended the Drewry reunions, held on Father's Day at the Branche home in Ivor, in the 1950's and 60's. I recall how, even as a young boy, I was struck by Earl as being very sophisticated and a classy dresser. And his fine automobiles made a big impression with us young Drewry boys (I am the oldest of the Drewry grandchildren and about 10 years younger than Earl), . My memories of my Branche relatives are those reunion gatherings. Earl, his brother Edward with wife Vera, as well as their parents, Herbert and Maude, Lutie's sister Esther Sweeney and her diminutive husband (who I never heard called anything other than "Mr. Sweeney) would always be there. Aunt Lillian took the train from her Norfolk job every weekend and Uncle Shelley lived at home. That time remains a vivid memory of my Ivor family story.

I am very sorry to hear about the passing of Earl. He was so very nice to me and our family when we recently visited Virgina Beach to attend my Aunt Alice's funeral. I could clearly see the love he had for my Aunt and her family and their love for him. My sincere condolences go out to all the Branche family for the loss of their Mom and now Earl. May the love and peace of of Lord Jesus be with all of you now and forever.Amen!

To us, Earl was Antiquities. No one could take his place. We missed hm when he retired and we had no reason to dine there after. May God rest his soul, and his relatives and close friends accept our sncere condolences.

I have so many fond memories of Earl. I had the privilege of sharing coffee and conversation with him many mornings on his deck while visiting my son. Earl was devoted to his family and spoke of them with pride and great affection. I am forever grateful for the way he took my son, Chris Bodenbender under his wing, giving him the benefit of his counsel and wisdom. I will always remember his voice saying, "Chris, take care of your 'Muhtha', make sure she has everything she needs".
He was the definition of a Southern Gentleman.

What a wonderful man who will be truly missed. I was blessed to have worked with him many years and will treasure the wonderful memories of laughter, stories and smiles. My thoughts and prayers are with his family as they heal from this difficult time.

We loved Earl very much and looked forward to seeing him every year at the reunion in Ivor. We would drive from Lexington to Ivor on the Saturday before and stay with Earl overnight. Many times we would all drive to Courtland for dinner and have a nice visit. When I was little, I remember that Earl always had a really nice car, like a Cadillac. We'll miss him very much.

I will miss him terribly, my best to his family which he loved so much.

Our thoughts and prayers are going out to Earl's family. Please let us know if we can do anything to help during this time.

I met Earl many years back when he was at the Airport Hilton, since I work at the beach close to his home he would often stop by to say hello, we had many a laugh... what a great guy.
I will miss you Earl so very much xx