Wednesday, June 9, 2021
Jimmy Bradley – condolences and memories
May all the Bradley family and friends find comfort from the loss of Jimmy Bradley. Jimmy’s suffering is over and he is at rest now. May your memories of him bring you joy more than nostalgia, and encouragement from his perseverance in the face of difficulty.
Jimmy was my first cousin as his father Wilson whom we called Uncle Autrey and my mother, Mary Olga Bradley were brother and sister. I had no natural brothers, so I made close friends with my only male cousins on mothers’ side, Jimmy and David Bradley. We were the only boys in our generation in Texas. Jimmy got to know the cousins in Alaska both as a child and as an adult which I did not. I met the cousins once when they came for a Bradley reunion when I was around 16 years old. We Texas cousins were bragging about how big and great Texas was. The Alaska cousins said to stop bragging or they would cut Alaska in half and Texas would be the third largest state in the Union.
On one occasion, I took a bus to College Station and visited Jimmy and Paula for a week. We played typical boys’ games, and roamed the neighborhood, Jimmy showing me his favorite parts. Aunt Margaret made the most delicious meals. Jimmy came to my house mostly when the family came for a day visit. The Bradley’s had family reunions in East Texas at a roadside park. There were woods next to the park with wild hogs, which we cousins would chase. I don’t know what we would have done if we had caught one, but it was fun being with Jimmy and David running free in the woods. I am sure there were times Jimmy went to the Bradley Woodlake property for a few days and got to fish in Uncle Joe’s lake and eat Aunt Aulie’s cooking. We thought Uncle Bill’s house with all the antlers lining the outdoor porch on 3 sides was the coolest part of visiting the “country” as we called it. I’m sure Jimmy and Paula’s visits were similar to mine such as, drawing fresh cold water from their well. They had installed a pump, but we kids enjoyed the mystery of dropping the bucket in the well and pulling on the rope until it changed into the chain attached to the bucket. The water was so sweet and cold; and they used a gourd to drink the water. Then there was eating at the table with Uncle Joe and Aunt Aulie and later Aunt Matt, who retired from the city back to Woodlake.
For the family who did not know our great uncles and aunts, none of them Bill, Matt, Joe and Aulie had ever married. Bill and Joe had worked in the sawmill and farmed. Matt left Woodlake for Houston and ran a boarding house near the University of Houston and Rice University. I don’t think Aulie ever left Woodlake, she just farmed and cooked.
I trust my memories will bring fond remembrances to the family about our past, where we, Jimmy, Paula, and I came from and the strong foundations from which we were reared. These included respect for property: we did not hunt on paper mill land, we did not go fishing in someone’s lake with out permission, we closed the gate behind us to ensure the cows did not get out. Then there was respect for our elders: our grandparents, aunts and uncles and our parents. We might disagree with them, but we respected them. May God surround you all with his love and grace and comfort your souls.
Paul Czigan
