Eileen Braton Obituary

Eileen Evelyn Braton, age 75, of Mesa, AZ, passed away peacefully on July 5, 2025.

A memorial service to honor her life will be held on Tuesday, July 29, 2025, at 11:00 am at Little Bethany Lutheran Church in rural Barnesville. Public visitation will be held one hour prior to the service at the church. Burial will be on July 30, 2025 at 11:00 am at Holy Family Cemetery in Belle Prairie, MN. Fellowship and sharing to follow at church hall.

She was born in Little Falls, MN, on September 26, 1949. Eileen graduated from Mother Ignatius High School in Belle Prairie and went on to receive medical training at Alexandria Technical College. In 1969, Eileen Welle went through a serious hepatitis attack due to her work in the medical field. She was advised not to work for some time and followed Llyal Benjamin Braton to Australia, where he was working as an industrial arts teacher. It was a brave trip across country to California in her 1971 Volkswagen Beetle, which she sold for a plane ticket. They eloped in January 1972, getting married at the town hall in New South Wales, Australia, witnessed by painters who happened to be there that day! Other trips include a road trip to New York in 1980, and one to Florida in 1982. On this trip Eileen began experiencing severe migraines, leading to the diagnosis of a brain tumor. Her favorite trip was with her siblings in 2008, to Germany.

Eileen enjoyed a long and dedicated career in phlebotomy, serving patients for 30 years in Detroit Lakes, MN; El Paso, TX; Moorhead, MN; and Buffalo, MN. Her gentle nature and professionalism left a lasting impact on those she worked with and cared for.

She was a devoted member of Little Bethany Lutheran Church and an avid reader. Eileen found joy and fellowship in participating in a literary league, Bible studies, and book clubs in Barnesville, MN.

Eileen is survived by her loving husband, Llyal Braton; her son, Adam and daughter, Ann (Adam) Rutkowski; and her siblings, Duane (Char) Welle of Fort Ripley, MN, Darrell (Bev) Welle of Fort Ripley, MN, Chet (Elynn) Welle of Plymouth, MN, Larry (Debbie) Welle of Little Falls, MN, Janice Welle of Moorhead, MN, Kenny (Cindy) Welle of Little Falls, MN, Beady (Darv) Keehr of Little Falls, MN.

Eileen is preceded in death by her father, Victor Welle; mother, Alvina Welle; brother, Roger Welle; and parents-in-law, Mabel and Loren Braton.

Eileen will be remembered for her deep faith, kind heart, and dedication to family. Her legacy of compassion and love will live on in all who knew her.