Joella T. Bradshaw

1923 - 2022

Joella Mae Thompson Bradshaw, widow of John R. Bradshaw Jr., died on December 10, 2022, at Dogwood Village in Orange, VA. Mrs. Bradshaw was born in Reading, PA on January 21, 1923, to George Wicklein Thompson and Ella Wolford Thompson. She was the oldest of six children: Robert, Janet, Fred, Sally and George, Jr. She attended Albright College and graduated from the Reading Business Institute; shortly afterward, she enlisted in The United States Navy Reserve (WAVES - Women Accepted for Volunteer Emergency Service), where she served in the Hospital Corp at Bethesda Naval Hospital, Bethesda, MD during World War II. Mrs. Bradshaw worked at the Tucker Veterinary Hospital for many years in Orange, VA, where she was also a long-time devoted choir member and disciple student at the Trinity United Methodist Church. After her retirement, in 1988, Mrs. Bradshaw lived out her commitment to Christ and to her community, dedicating many hours to volunteering with the Hospice of the Rapidan. She also volunteered independently as a travel counselor, participated in the Love Outreach and Excel programs, and contributed to various other community projects. Mrs. Bradshaw was known by her family and her community for her extraordinarily kind heart, her warm smile, her sharp wit, and her delicious molasses cookies. She was a devoted mother and grandmother who opened the door to all who knocked and was always willing to lend an ear. She enjoyed reading, painting, smocking dresses, and telling stories to her enraptured granddaughters, who would spend holidays running around in her backyard and swinging on her front porch. She was an avid traveler who visited six of the world's seven continents in her lifetime. She is survived by two sons, John Richard Bradshaw III (Arlington, VA) and Timothy Thompson Bradshaw and wife Patricia Seddon (Cambridge, New Zealand) as well as three daughters, Wendy B. McClellan, wife of William A. McClellan Jr. (Orange, VA), Janet B. Keane (Vienna, VA), and Margaret Deane Eure (Portland, OR). Mrs. Bradshaw is also survived by her brother George Thompson Jr. and his wife Barbara (Birdsboro, PA); five granddaughters, Emily Blake Keane San Antonio, wife of Michael San Antonio (Vienna, VA), Kelsey Frances Keane (Vienna, VA), Adeline Taylor Eure (San Diego, CA), Sarah Kyle McClellan (Atlanta, GA), and Hannah Joelle Bradshaw (Cambridge, New Zealand); one great-granddaughter, Sienna Joella San Antonio (Vienna, VA); and many loving nieces and nephews. She was preceded in death by her parents and her husband, as well as her other siblings and two sons-in-law, Robert C. Eure and Thomas F. Keane. The memorial service will be held later in the Spring at Trinity UMC in Orange, VA. After which friends and family will receive a Daffodil bulb to plant in her memory. Interment in Graham Cemetery will be private. Preddy Funeral Home in Orange, VA will oversee services. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to Trinity UMC, Hospice of the Piedmont, Orange County Rescue Squad, Love Outreach, and Orange Virginia Fire Department.