Joy Elliott Brattland July 22, 1922-December 16, 2011, Carmichael California

Joy Elliott Brattland of Carmichael, California, born July 3, 1922.   A wonderful, loving woman, passed away on December 16, 2011, age 89. She has left a saddened family, but also one that was privileged to know and love her. Joy was the youngest child of four, including brother Rawleigh, Karl, and sister Josephine Elliott of John and Elsie Elliott of Lampasas, Texas. Joy was born in Amarillo, Texas.  She graduated from Kress High School in Kress, Texas. After attending college in Texas, she went to   work for the Army Air Corps at Midland Field, Midland, Texas.  She  met her future husband Gordon Arthur Brattland of Hendrum, Minnesota, while he was in flight training with the Army Air Corps at Midland during WWII. They were married in Midland, Texas September 4, 1945.  After his discharge from the Army, they moved  to the San Fernando Valley area of Southern California, where Gordon worked for General Motors and then for the California Air National Guard (CANG) at Van Nuys Airport.  While living there, they had two children, Michael Gordon Brattland and Karen Joy Brattland, born in Glendale and Van Nuys, California respectively. They moved to Sacramento in 1950 as part of the transfer of the CANG unit Gordon worked for to the old Sacramento City Airport.  Gordon rode to work from the Sacramento house on a bicycle until it got too dangerous.  After several months in the new job, the situation changed and Gordon found a new position working as a civilian aircraft electrician at Mather AFB.  This meant the family needed to move closer to Mather Field. They found the family home in the countryside of Carmichael, buying the little house on a ½ acre and moving in 1951 where the Brattland Family remains to this day. Joy and Gordon planted a wide variety of fruit trees, raising all types of vegetables and berries. Gordon teamed up with the neighbor to raise beef which they shared, butchering regularly for the needs of both families.  Joy canned all the fruits grown on the property in the kitchen, making all matter of things for use by the family including pickles, as well as baking all the family bread. The family had a large chicken house and raised chickens for eggs and for the table food. Gordon would make extra money for the family using the neighbor’s large Ford tractor and rotatiller, tilling our own property as well as many local properties. By the mid 1950s the family began doing a lot of tent camping up at Wright’s Lake off Highway 50 in the Sierras, but Joy became tired of all the work of packing and unpacking every weekend and wanted a cabin like the ones at Wright’s Lake. She and Gordon looked into buying a cabin there, but found out there were no more cabin lots to be had from the US Forest Service. However, the Forest Service told them about the new cabin tract at Gerle Creek near Loon Lake where the family visited in the summer of 1958. Joy and Gordon picked Lot 24  in late summer of 1958, signing a lease with the Forest Service and over the next four summers building our cabin which was finished in 1961. The cabin remains in the family to this day and represents an important part of the Brattland Family tradition. Joy and Gordon loved that cabin and every minute spent building and maintaining it. In recent years, Joy was not able to visit Gerle Creek but still loved it just the same.

Joy and Gordon raised their children in Carmichael where they attended local schools while both worked. Joy and Gordon joined the Carmichael Presbyterian Church in 1951 remaining members all these years, including being very active in their Mariner group at the church. Joy was a longtime member of a local PEO Chapter and enjoyed her many friends and activities over the years. Joy volunteered over the years with the Sons of Norway lodge making Lefse every year for the local celebration.  Joy worked early on in the real estate business as an assistant, later going to work for the California Department of Education in Sacramento as an assistant. She finished her career over at California Department of Transportation (CalTrans) retiring in 1987. Gordon left his Air Force employment to go to work for Education Technology in 1963 involved in driver training simulators and language labs for schools. Joy helped Gordon with the business, Education Technology which they eventually purchased around 1980.  Gordon Brattland passed away in July 1986. Joy is survived by her son, Cdr Michael G. Brattland USN-Retired and his wife Patricia, including their three children (grandchildren), Jon, Alan and Elizabeth Brattland of El Cajon, California and her daughter, Karen Joy Brattland of Carmichael, California and many nieces and nephews. Services for Joy Elliott Brattland will be held at Carmichael Presbyterian Church, 5645 Marconia Ave., Carmichael, California 95608 on Friday, January 6, 2012 at 11:00AM followed by a reception with food and drink in the church social hall at Noon.  Immediate family members will leave at 1:30PM for 2:00PM graveside services at the family plot at Sierra Hills Memorial Park and East Lawn Mortuary, Greenback Lane, Sacramento, California.  At 4:00PM, there will be an open house for all friends and family at the Bratlland Home at 4150 Sangamon Street, Carmichael, California 95608 916 944-1351.  In lieu of flowers, donations in the name of Joy Elliott Brattland should be made to either the National Kidney Foundation, Carmichael Presbyterian Church or the American Cancer Society.

 http://www.gerlecreek.com/brattland/joyebrattlandobit.htm

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