Johnnie B Bradley, mother of Brad Bradley, Roberta Bradley Walden, Elizabeth Bradley Kring, and Phoebe Bradley Fowler, died at home in Del Rio, Texas, as she wished on August 8. She was fortunate in that she didn’t suffer a lengthy terminal illness, that she was in no pain, and, happily, that her mind was never as old as her body became. She remained a beautiful, high-spirited woman all her life. Born Dec. 11, 1916, the only child of a Rising Star farmer, Will Reynolds, and a Leakey rancher, Elizabeth Bybee Reynolds, Johnnie B grew up in Leakey with dozens of first, second, and third cousins who were beloved to her – the McCoys, the Rowans, the Bybees and many others. She was a petite, but sturdy, beautiful woman who didn’t need makeup or even beautiful clothes to be beautiful, and she didn’t have a fake or mean bone in her body. Her children always appreciated that she was unpretentious, neither self-deprecating nor bragging, always inspirational, never discouraging, ever hopeful that her children would be safe, be happy, and live fulfilling lives. She saw no limits for the potential of any human, her own children in particular. It was a comfort to her children that she did not gossip, and that, if anyone did gossip, she would say something such as, “But for the grace of God, there go I” or something like “Well, don’t believe it [gossip] unless you see it for yourself.” Always as sharp as a tack, Johnnie B, as she was known to her friends, loved language and learning and she believed in opportunity. She taught herself to type at the kitchen table, and she studied for the GED at the kitchen table. Her children are proud that a woman with only a seventh-grade education found it important to teach herself so that she could earn her GED and, eventually, that she was able to work as a civil service employee and, finally, to retire as one. At different times in her life, she was a desk clerk at Roswell Hotel, a proofreader for Del Rio News Herald, a secretary for the state, and a civil service employee for many, many years at Laughlin Air Force Base. She was proud of every position she held. She had two rules for her children : 1) Do not get injured 2) Always come home for Thanksgiving (no matter what!). She was obsessed with knowing where her children were, even when her children were in their 60s. If you were the good child and let her know where you were going to be, you could be in Newport News, Virginia, on a weekend trip and call her to know if you needed an umbrella that day. She did not judge people. But if you wanted to know if she had a lot of Irish in her, you could say something negative about any one of her children. It might even be true. You just wouldn’t want to mention it. For example, if “X” didn’t make Thanksgiving, you wouldn’t want to say it out loud to Johnnie B. Johnnie B had many, many dear friends over the years who found her to be cheery and pleasant and with whom she shared many a good cup of coffee in her living room. We want to list all their names here, but, of course we would be leaving off a name and hurting someone’s feelings. Still, we must mention Merle Davenport and Lorene Cummins. Johnnie B was not a proud, bold, or outspoken person, but she was very proud of all four of her children. She is survived by all of her children: Brad Bradley and his wife, Jo Marie; Roberta Walden, Lizz (Elizabeth) Kring and her husband, Billy; Phoebe Fowler and her husband, Howdy. Johnnie B is also survived by eight of her nine grandchildren as well as by all 14 of her great-grandchildren, all of whom she was very proud. Without a doubt, the people beloved by her who preceded her in death will be at heaven’s gate to welcome Johnnie B home: her parents, her grandparents, all of her many cousins who were so dear to her, her good neighbor, Lorene, her beloved grandson, Lee, and her adopted “sister,” Nell Thompson, whom she missed dreadfully for over 60 of her 99 years and eight months. Johnnie will be laid to rest August 23 at 10 a.m. next to her mother, Elizabeth Bybee Reynolds, and her grandmother, Phoebe Jane Jewel Bybee, in Cypress Creek Cemetery in Real County. The family of Johnnie B would like to thank Nelson’s Funeral Home in Leakey for their careful managing of Mother’s trip to and burial in Leakey as well as Hospice Care of Del Rio and Mother’s long time caregivers who made possible Johnnie B’s wish to remain in her own home all her days: Connie, Ida, Lupe, and Gloria. Mother was so blessed, and so were we.
THE PRECEDING IS A PAID OBITUARY.
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