Osa M. Branstetter

Osa M. (Tester) Branstetter, 89, died April 22, 2013, at Legacy Village, Circle of Life in Bentonville, after a beautiful day spent with friends and family surrounding her. She was born on Sept. 28, 1923, in Wright County, Mo., to the late John William and Verna (Pryor) Tester. She was a faithful member of the Bella Vista Church of Christ, where she formed many strong and lasting friendships with her church family. She married the love of her life, Harry Branstetter, on Dec. 28, 1940, and they were together until his death in 1996. Osa had many interesting occupations throughout her life, including cooking for miners at the Carlisle Mine in Idaho, working for Lily Tulip paper cup factory, McBee Binder Company, and owning and operating three motels in Buffalo, Mo., and Forsyth, Mo. She and Harry retired from dairy farming in 1988. She loved reading, crossword puzzles, traveling, especially to her beloved Idaho and the West, and she was an avid pet-lover. One of the joys of her life was traveling with the Sojourners RV missionary group during her retirement years. Osa was preceded in death by her five brothers and an infant daughter. She is survived by three sons, Charles (and Wilma) of Fairplay, Mo., Steve of Branson, Mo., Jim (and Brenda) of Bella Vista; and one daughter, Wilma (and Mark) of Bentonville; six grandchildren, Matthew, Heather (and Josh), Stephen, Ashley, Aaron and Andrea; two great-grandchildren, Landon, and Harper; her beloved cat, Cleo. She also leaves many nieces, nephews and a host of friends. A memorial service will be on Saturday, April 27, 2013, at 1 p.m. in the Bella Vista Church of Christ. Visitation will precede the service starting at 12:30 p.m. In lieu of flowers, donations in her memory can be made to the Lone Pine Animal Shelter, www.lonepineanimalshelter.com; or Fair Haven Children's Home, www.fairhavenchildrenshome.com. Arrangements are under the care of Rollins Funeral Home. Online condolences can be made at www.rollinsfuneral.com.