Aila Boyd
aboyd@mainstreetnewspapers.com
Almeeds Laverne Bratton, of Salem, celebrated her 105th birthday last week.
Born on Oct. 11, 1917 in Catawba, Bratton is the daughter of Jessie and Betty Napper Bratton. She is one of 12 siblings.
At the age of 17 in 1936, Bratton started working at Catawba Hospital, where many of the state’s tuberculosis patients were housed. Working at the hospital was a family endeavor for the Bratton family. Bratton’s father, mother and some of her siblings worked at the hospital. Her father was chief cook. Her bother started working at the hospital soon after it was opened in 1909.
Bratton worked at the hospital for 45 years. The last title she held was dietary supervisor.
Later on, Bratton and her sister relocated to Roanoke, and eventually Salem.
In February of 2021, Bratton received the 50,000th dose of the COVID-19 vaccine that Carilion Clinic administered. It was her second dose of the vaccine, which she received at the Berglund Center.
