Bertha Dee Smith Bradley

Bertha Dee Smith Bradley, age 91, passed away on May 8, 2016. She was born on June 11, 1924 in the Red Rock community of Colbert County, Alabama. “Bert” was baptized into the body of Christ as a young person and faithfully served the Lord all of her life, exceling as an encourager of others, as a Christian wife and as a loving mother and grandmother. Mrs. Bradley graduated from high school in Cherokee, Alabama in 1943 and was married to Watson Bradley on June 3, 1950. Bertha and Watson made their home together in Nashville where they were active members of the Brookmeade and Hillsboro churches of Christ. She was an assistant preschool teacher for many years. Bertha was a devoted friend to her neighbors and to members of the Brookmeade Home Demonstration Club, and she supported her husband in leadership roles with the Boy Scouts of America. Following the death of her husband in 1991, Bert provided many happy memories for her extended family. She encouraged the annual Smith reunion and hosted a Thanksgiving meal each year, even after moving from her home of 50 years in West Meade to The Meadows community in Bellevue. Mrs. Bradley was preceded in death by her parents, Fletcher Garfield Smith and Ora Emma Bolton Smith; her husband, Watson M. Bradley; brothers, Elbert Smith, Boyd Smith, Vernon Smith, and Ray Smith; sisters Alpha Hester, Beulah King, Genevieve James, Loral Guyton, Evelyn Daily, and Gwendolyn Belue. She is survived by her son, Isham Beasley “Ike” Bradley (Roberta) of Nashville and daughter, Rebecca Bradley Shields (Doug) of Oxford, Mississippi and by grandchildren Sarah Jane Bedwell (Joe), Laura Shields, Elizabeth Badger (Jeff), Caroline Bradley and Bradley Shields. She is also survived by her brother, Fletcher G. Smith (Barbara) of Florence, AL, her sister-in-law, Edna Smith of Sheffield, AL, and numerous nephews and nieces. Funeral Service will be held Wednesday, May 11, 2016, at eleven thirty, Woodlawn’s Dignity Hall. Gathering of Family & Friends will be held Wednesday from ten o’clock until the funeral hour at Woodlawn Roesch-Patton Funeral Home. Memorial gifts may be made to Disaster Relief Effort or the children’s ministry at Hillsboro Church of Christ. Visit the online obituary: www.woodlawn-roesch-pattonfh.com.