Elwanda McNutt Brann of Mansfield, Texas, formerly of Overland Park, Kansas, and Jonesboro, Arkansas, departed this life at her home on Sunday, December 26, 2021, at the age of 91. She was born in Swifton, Arkansas, on January 28, 1930, the youngest child of Ray John McNutt and Opal Robertson McNutt.
She graduated from Swifton High School in 1948. After graduation, she attended Harding College for one year and transferred to Arkansas State College where she completed her teaching degree and attained her Master’s Degree in Education.
She married Benjamin Sanford Brann III at the Brann family home in Swifton on December 22, 1951. They lived in San Antonio, Texas; Memphis, Tennessee; and Wynne and Hope, Arkansas, before making their home in Overland Park, Kansas, where they worked and raised their two sons. Upon retirement, they moved to Jonesboro where she lived until 2011.
She was a first-grade teacher for 25 years at Pawnee Elementary School in Overland Park, Kansas. Teaching was one of her greatest joys. She was an active member of the First United Methodist Church, where she volunteered and spent countless hours helping handicapped children. She was an avid reader; she enjoyed knitting, and after retiring she developed a great interest in family history. Her greatest love was her family. She delighted in her sons, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren.
She was preceded in death by her husband of 59 years, Benjamin S. Brann III, her parents, and one sister, Joyce McNutt Jackson.
She is survived by two sons, Dr. Ben S. Brann IV and wife, Kathy, of Arlington, Texas, and Michael Brann and wife, Sheryl, of Lawrence, Kansas. Also, surviving are four grandchildren, Benjamin S. Brann V, Megan Brann Krouse and husband, Matt, Christopher Brann, and Catherine Brann Trammell and husband, Brent, along with three great-grandchildren, Adrianna Krouse, Caroline Krouse, and Jacqueline Krouse.
Friends may visit at the funeral home Sunday, January 2, 2022, from 5:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. Graveside service will be Monday, January 3, 2022, at 2:00 p.m. at Swifton Cemetery.
