Samuel Riley Branson

Samuel Riley Branson

May 8, 1949 - November 3, 2025

Born in Beatrice, Nebraska, Sam moved with his family to Lawrence, Kansas in 1955. His parents became committed to the health and well-being of the Lawrence community; his father, Vernon Branson, established a longstanding pediatric practice and his mother, Jessie Branson, engaged in a wide array of civic and cultural initiatives, ultimately serving for ten years as a representative from Lawrence’s 44th district to the Kansas State Legislature.

An important part of Sam’s upbringing was his love for his grandparents, Joseph and Sophia Cassidy; he lived with them during all school vacations and holidays, and over summers, on their farm outside the town of Cummings in Atchison County.

Sam’s parents were two of the founders of Cottonwood, Incorporated. One of its residences, the White House, was his home for many years, and he worked in a variety of jobs in their industries programs. He eventually moved into the Cottonwood retirement enrichment services program. The Cottonwood motto is “We help individuals with disabilities shape their own future”, and for Sam, these were not empty words. The dedication of all the people who make up the Cottonwood community gave him a rich life, filled with caring, highly professional people, good humor, and wonderful friends.

Sam spent the last few months of his life at Bridge Haven Memory Care, where he found a new home with skilled staff and comfortable surroundings.

Sam is survived by his sisters and their spouses, Johanna Branson and Jonathan Gill of Medford, Massachusetts, Martha Berger and William Berger of Wauwatosa, Wisconsin, and Rosemary Jones, of Lawrence, Kansas, as well as many nieces, nephews and cousins.

A funeral service will be held at Trinity Episcopal Church, 10th and Vermont, on December 13th at 10 am, reception to follow in the parish hall.

In lieu of flowers, the family asks that a donation be made in Sam’s name to Cottonwood, Inc. https://www.cwood.org/cwood/donate.