MILWAUKEE — The Bucks Grand Dancers are pretty well-known around Milwaukee.
Someone you might not know is Judy Brannon.
“Too many things have been happening to me all at once!” she says.
But, before Judy got her chance to dance at Deer District, she was dancing at home.
“There were pianos at our grandparents’ home. Uncle Sonny was a musician,” Judy says. “I’m just used to being around musicians and people that dance.”
“She is always kind of the life of the party, very sociable, just always talking,” says Kevin Brannon, Judy’s brother.
“Yeah, never shy, not shy at all,” chimes in Kristin Gillan, Judy’s stepsister.
Judy’s family says that even after she was diagnosed with dementia and moved into Azura Memory Care, that zest for life didn’t go away.
“It’s kind of crazy how, if there’s music playing, just watch her because she’ll be… up dancing or any of that kind of stuff,” Kevin says.
Justine Barton with Azura helps residents hold onto pieces of themselves, even as dementia takes hold.
“We ask our residents that question, ‘what would your best day ever be?’” Justine says. “And then we do our best to try and make those things come true.”
For Judy, that would be a Bucks game and an evening of dancing.
“Well they took that and they just ran with it,” Kevin says.
Judy may not remember much about her big show now, but you can tell she had fun just by looking at her face.
“All she needs is a little music!” says Dawn Brannon, Judy’s sister-in-law.
“We always say, when memories fade, it’s the moments that matter,” Justine says.
And dancing with the Grand Dancers is a moment that Judy’s family will never forget.
“It was so cool, and she was just beaming, it was so cool,” Kevin says, adding that escorting Judy around Fiserv Forum after her performance felt a lot like walking around with a celebrity.
“This really brought all of that back, how much fun we would have together when we would all go out,” Kristin adds.
