Write a commentLet me just say it. What's not to like about Bob and Sue Branshaw? They are both the salt of the earth and the cream of the crop. They are a delightful mix of musical talent and drugs, in a very healthy (and legal) way.
Bob is the longtime people's pharmacist who made Wayne's Drugs, a little-known Newark, N.Y. pharmacy, a household treasure throughout Oswego County. Wayne's World became Bob and Sue's world as they expanded their hometown pharmacy and friendly philosophy from Oswego to Fulton, then Mexico and Pulaski. Their drugstores became the top selling pharmacies in each locality. Why? The personal touch, and friendly, caring personality of Bob Branshaw somehow percolated through every store and employee. Put simply, they showed people they cared, and it worked.
Part of it is due to Bob’s outgoing and empathic personality. He is always attuned to giving personal service to his customers, and even still compounds his own home remedies, like his green summer gel for all skinwise maladies that bedevil you during the course of a summer sting, sunburn, or just plain itch, that you somehow just can’t scratch. I think if he names it and patents it, he would be well on his way to fame and fortune, but that’s not his goal. His goal seems, above all else, to be of service to his customers, about whom he cares deeply, and that care is palpably evident.
They have finally embarked on a major facelift for Wayne’s and Bob has long ago let go of managing his other three stores, and at least one of his kids has followed in his pharmaceutical footsteps. Jamie, Bob and Sue’s third son, is wildly successful in his own right, filling prescriptions for a host of institutional customers, and still playing a major part in the Wayne Drug company itself.
The Branshaws were married in 1965, and are the proud parents of four children, and 10 grandchildren. Their children were schooled at St. Mary’s and OCHS. One son, David, has gone on to become a famous golf pro, and has ridden the pro golf circuit. The other son Robbie, is a landscaper in the Syracuse area and their daughter Suzie lives with her husband Steve in the Baldwinsville area and has pursued a career as a physical education teacher. Bob is a graduate of St. John’s School, the proud fifth ward parish that is no longer open, and has since merged with St. Mary’s. He also graduated from OCHS in 1959, and that is where he met the love of his life, and his wife, Suzanne Chalone, from Fulton.
Sue was a vocal music major, and is the long time director of music, and organist at St. Mary’s parish in Oswego, and for many years, was the music teacher at St. Mary’s.
I have many fond memories of grammar school chorus performances, in which all of my children participated. They still sing the Italian Christmas song they learned as second graders: “Tu shende d’al estella” at family Christmas gatherings.
It was in Sue’s classroom that my singer/songwriter daughter Elizabeth got her start and inspiration, and Sue has continued to be a mentor and an inspiration to dozens of musically inclined St. Mary’s graduates today. She is a remarkable musician and worthy successor to the musical heritage of the late great James H. Lally, choirmaster and choral director extraordinaire, who built St. Mary’s
Men’s choir into a force to be reckoned with Diocese and statewide. She has done a remarkable job of expanding on that legacy, adapting and somehow remaining current and relevant, musically. With Sue, you never know, you may even hear “hip -hop “ Christmas songs some year. The sky is the limit.
With Bob, what you see is what you get. He is the real deal, and an almost surreal kind of persona that if they were to cast a movie of his life, you would expect Jimmy Stewart to be playing the role of Bob Branshaw. I’m not sure who would be cast as Sue. How about Sally Fields?
When, and or if Bob and Sue will ever retire is an entirely open question. I suspect not. They are both too busy tending to the needs of their respective flocks, children and grandchildren, to ever slow down, and why should they? They are the rocks upon which the fabric of any community are built, and they have made a huge difference in the lives of many Oswegonians, for which we will always be eternally grateful. Good luck with the new storefront, guys. Just don’t ever change who you are, and all will be well. Oh, and one last prescription: don’t ever let go of the “Downtown Mayor," Mike D’Amico. Under your guidance, he has become an indispensible institution in his own right. It’s all part of the family of Wayne’s that Bob and Sue built. Bravo to them.
