Erma "Irene" Chasten Branson, 81, of Linton died Wednesday, July 19, 2006.

Born Oct. 21, 1924, she was the daughter of William and Maxine (Melton) Spears.

She was an LPN at Bloomington Hospital from 1967-70 and at Hendricks County Hospital from 1970 until retiring in 1975.

She attended the Hazelwood Christian Church and was a former member of the Hazelwood Extension Homemaker's Club.

She is survived by her husband, William "Bill" Branson; five daughters, Barbara Rady and Kathy Hefley, both of Indianapolis and Sandra Stokes, Danville, Ill., Shirley Clark, Franklin and Betty Cochran, of Fort Myers, Fla.; six sons, Ronald Chasten, Danville, Ill., Steven Michael Chasteen and Robert Chasteen, both of Indianapolis, James Chasteen, of Bloomington, Jerry Chasteen, of Clayton; and William "Bill" Chasteen, of Andover, Ohio; two sisters, Sarah Chelf, of Spencer and Mary Butcher, of Bloomington; 27 grandchildren; and 41 great-grandchildren.

She was preceded in death by her first husband, Donald Chasteen.

Funeral service will be at 2 p.m. on Friday at Weaver and Randolph Funeral Home in Danville, Ind. Burial will be in East Cemetery in Danville.