COLONEL ARNIM LAVELLE "Lum" BRANTLEY USAF RET.

1928 - 2017

Arnim Lavelle "Lum" Brantley of Niceville, FL, peacefully left this world to be with our Lord on June 2, 2017. He was born on April 3, 1928 in Clarks, LA to Arnim Lavelle and Charlotte Dunn Brantley and raised in Longleaf, LA. He attended LSU but in his junior year he accepted an appointment to the US Military Academy at West Point and graduated with a BS in Engineering in 1951. He then accepted a commission in the new USAF. After Lum completed pilot training at Reese AFB he had tours of duty as an interceptor pilot at McGhee Tyson AFB, Johnson AB and Yakota AB in Japan. He then received a Master's degree in Aeronautical Engineering at the Air Force Institute of Technology at Wright Patterson AFB in Dayton. Lum served at Ubon and Udorn Royal Thai Air Force Bases in Thailand, completing 151 combat missions flying F-4 aircraft in Vietnam and serving as Operations Officer for the 555th Tactical Fighter Squadron, known as the "Triple Nickel." He had two assignments at Eglin AFB, where he fell in love with Northwest Florida. Among other assignments he served at HQUSAF at the Pentagon and was an instructor at the new Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs. In 1975, while serving at Kelly AFB in San Antonio, he met the love of his life, Leora "Lolo" Ezell, and they married on July 26, 1976. Lum retired from the Air Force in May 1979 after 28 years of service and went to work for Teledyne Brown Engineering in Huntsville, AL until final retirement in May 1990 when he and Lolo moved to Niceville, FL. His awards and decorations include the Legion of Merit with One Oak Leaf Cluster, Distinguished Flying Cross, Soldier's Medal, Air Medal with 11 Oak Leaf Clusters and the Bronze Star. He was a member of First Presbyterian Church in Niceville. Lum loved the game of golf and was part of "the Gaggle" at Eglin Golf Course. He was also an avid LSU Tigers fan. Lum and Lolo enjoyed 40 wonderful years together which he described as "as good as it gets." Lum is survived by his wife, Lolo Brantley, his sister, Jody Mullins, Fairhope, AL, his children, Ric (Carol) Brantley, Dothan, AL, Christie (Mike) Lammers, Houston, TX and Mark Brantley, Memphis, TN, stepchildren Jan (Graham) Ezell, Atlanta, GA and Cory (Jana) Ezell, Austin, TX, seven grandchildren, Cole Brantley, Adam Lammers, Kevin (Lindsay) Lammers, Ashley (Brandon) Formoso and Caitlin (Wes) Feltman, Chloe Ezell and Callie Ezell, and four great grandchildren, Camren Feltman, Brody Feltman, Madeline Feltman, and Gabriella Formoso, as well as many loving friends and neighbors. A memorial service will be held at 2:00 p.m. on Friday, June 9, at First Presbyterian Church in Niceville. You may go online to offer condolences to the family and sign the guestbook at www.heritagegardensfuneralhome.com.