Helen Ida (Dorcey) Brawley Brotherton passed away Tuesday, July 8, 2014. She was born on Oct. 17, 1928 in Chicago, Ill., the first born and daughter of Charles (Charley) and Ida (Barton) Dorcey. The family then moved to Newaygo, where two sisters joined the family. Her mother taught school and her father was a lineman for Consumer Power Company. The Big Depression came along and the family moved to Whittemore and added two more sisters and two brothers joined the family. Charley and his dad built a log house where all the children were raised. Helen attended school in Whittemore where she graduated in 1946. In spite of the fact she suffered from bouts of rheumatic fever, which almost took her life more than once, she lettered in cheerleading and went on to work in Detroit for Michigan Bell Telephone as an operator and later as a supervisor, raised two daughters and managed, with her husband, Chuck Brawley, a farm in Adrian. Even though Helen suffered from arthritis, she was an excellent seamstress and always had to have a project going. Helen rarely slowed down she was always on the go as her many nieces and nephews can attest. She loved to take a carload of kids to Cedar Point, Belle Isle, or any where they wanted. One of her favorite spots was "camp," the family cabin near Curran where she spent many deer seasons as "camp cook." In later years, she was "camp cook" for her nephews and their boys when they came to the farm in Adrian for deer season. Helen made friends wherever she went and she liked going on bus tours and meeting new people.After Chuck died, Helen spent her winters in Florida, where she met and married James Brotherton, first in Port Orange, then Jacksonville, and at the time of her death in Summerfield, Fla. She also, with her sisters, Clarissa and Ethel, rebuilt her parents log house in Whittemore.She is survived by two daughters, Helen (Penny) (Anthony) Kowalczyk and Andrea (Robert) Brown; two granddaughters, Lisa Kowalczyk and Katelyn Brown; four sisters, Elsie Rytlewski, Janet Kohn, Clarissa Hoffman and Ethel Blust; two brothers, Charles (Tom) (Helen) Dorcey and William (Bill) Dorcey; many nieces and nephews, and her beloved dogs, Keke and Allie. She was predeceased by her parents; husbands, Charles (Chuck) Brawley and James R. Brotherton; brothers-in-law, Delbert Rytlewski, Allen Kohn, Denny Hoffman and Ronald Blust; and sister-in-law, JoAnn Dorcey.A memorial service was held on Saturday, July 12 at J. Gilbert Purse Funeral Home, Adrian, and a second one will be held Saturday, July 19 at noon at Whittemore United Methodist Church 110 North St., Whittemore.In lieu of flowers, you may wish to make a donation to Hospice of Lenawee, 1903 Wolf Creek Hwy, Adrian, MI 49221, Whittemore United Methodist Church (WUMC) P.O. Box 155, Whittemore, MI 48770, the Heart Foundation, or in Memory of Helen Brotherton.