Alphonso Bradley Jr.

5 Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.

6 In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.

Service was his superpower. Born on August 10,1932, in Bonifay, Florida, Command Sergeant Major (retired) Alphonso Bradley earned his final earthly commendation and heavenly wings on October 4, 2024.

Mr. Bradley was the eldest son of five siblings. After the unfortunate early death of his father, he became the man of the household. Upon turning 17 years old, Mr. Bradley appealed to his mother to provide him with written consent to enlist in the U.S. Army. As the Korean Conflict escalated in 1950, Mr. Bradley, a teenager, became a cold warrior engaged in combat. He was wounded by gunfire, and subsequently received a purple heart. Mr. Bradley looked to the military for a career and continued to serve, seeing combat and receiving commendations in Vietnam. In an unlikely life detour, Mr. Bradley took a post overseeing the Yakima Training "Firing” Center.

As he ended his military career after 24 years, Mr. Bradley started life anew. He met and married the beautiful Annie Lee Johnson Bradley (1944-2013), who came to Yakima by way of Port Gibson, Mississippi; Chicago, Illinois; and Los Angeles, California. Together, they enjoyed a family of three sons and one daughter. Mr. Bradley, after retiring in 1974, began a two-decade career at Boise Cascade Sawmill. There, he ascended to Regional Safety Manager.

Taking his commitment to the Lord and community seriously, Mr. Bradley was a founding member of Greater Faith Baptist Church, established by the Rev. Joe T. Denman. In his 50 years of service to the church, Mr. Bradley was superintendent of the Sunday School, head of the Ushers Board, van driver, and steward of the church's affairs. In the community, Mr. Bradley served as a board member for OIC of Washington. He helped establish the East Side Sports League at the Southeast Community Center, and successfully coached for many years. Mr. Bradley served as president of the Yakima Branch of the NAACP, as well as the Alaska, Oregon and Washington NAACP State Area Conference Officer. He was also Director of Yakima's AmeriCorps program. In addition to representing Black Veterans at the state level, he mentored dozens of students navigating the city's public schools. Mr. Bradley has wisely and generously served the area for more than a half century. His life’s work provided countless opportunities for others and positively affected thousands of young people.

Mr. Bradley was preceded in death by his loving wife, Annie Lee Johnson Bradley, his sister Martha Bradley, brother Samuel Bradley, brother Glenn Bradley, son Gerald Bradley, and grandson Timothy Paul Bradley. He is survived by his sister Imogene Robertson, sons Van Johnson, Adrian Johnson, Stefan Bradley, Larry Bradley, and Kenneth Bradley, his daughters Alanna Bradley and Valarie Bradley, and dozens of grandchildren, great grandchildren, and great great grandchildren. He will forever be in our hearts.

Visitation will be held from 12:00 until 4:00 p.m. at Keith & Keith Funeral Home, 902 W Yakima Ave. on Saturday, October 12, 2024. A Funeral service will be held at 12:00 p.m. on Monday, October 14, 2024 at Greater Faith Baptist Church, 816 S. 6th St. Yakima. A committal service with Military Honors will follow at Terrace Heights Memorial Park.