127 Years of Family Serving Family: Betty Bramley, Moody AFB, and Leazel Williams, Seymour Johnson AFB
One in a series honoring the Exchange’s 127 years of family serving family
Who they are: Betty is an Express shift manager at Moody Air Force Base; her daughter Leazel is a main store manager at Seymour Johnson Air Force Base.
Years with the Exchange: Betty, 22; Leazel, 6.
Military connections: “After serving more than 25 years in the Air Force, my husband Roy retired in 2008 at Ramstein and we settled near Moody AFB,” Bramley said. “My father-in-law, Ronald Bramley, was a Vietnam Veteran who served 12 years in the Air Force.”
Williams’ husband Nick served in the Army for five years. Her father-in-law, Eric Rion, is a Naval officer. Her brother Phillip Bramley is currently in the Air Force; he’s served for 14 years.
Exchange connection: Bramley’s son and Williams’ brother Phillip Bramley worked at Subway and at the Express on Ramstein when he was a teenager.
What brought them to the Exchange: “Since my husband was in the military, wherever we were stationed I knew I had a job,” Bramley said.
“When we first got to Fort Riley in 2015 I spent about a year at home,” Williams said. “I wanted to get out of the house and do something, and I knew how much my mom loved working at the Exchange, so it was the first thing I thought of.”
Why they like working at the Exchange: “It’s not even a job, I like helping people,” Bramley said. “I like being surrounded by people and working in customer service.”
“I was really drawn to it because it was something that I knew, supported and appreciated,” Williams said.
Favorite job (so far): “When I was a cashier supervisor, I worked with a lot of customers and my wonderful employees,” Bramley said. “I like to pass on the knowledge as I learn from my supervisors.”
“My current job is my favorite,” Williams said. “In my previous positions, I was in charge of specific areas, but as the store manager, I have been able to oversee every aspect of the facility and help effect change in every area. Being able to actively help my assistants and managers learn and grow has been very fulfilling for me.”
Family serving family: “In 2019, when I was working at Fort Riley and I found out that I was selected to be the assistant main store manager at McConnell AFB, I requested to inform my warehouse team before it was announced,” Williams said. “It was one of the hardest things I’ve had to do in regard to farewells at the Exchange.
“My team was expectedly upset by my leaving but all expressed how happy they were for me in receiving this opportunity. I felt their disappointment that I would be leaving and I was unsure of how they were really feeling. I did not expect much in the way of a going-away party because we were in the swing of inventory prep. On my last day, the team threw me a surprise going-away potluck.
“When I think of ‘family serving family,’ I remember the way I felt that day. Knowing that no matter what struggles or hardships we may have faced during my time there, and there were a few, that my team was still supporting and uplifting me and each other is the pinnacle of the Exchange family to me.
“Not to say that I didn’t have great teams at my other locations, but the mutual respect, love, and strength in the face of adversity I experienced with the Riley MS warehouse team will always be a special part of my memories with the Exchange.”
