Joe Billy Bradley

Visitation will be today and services will be Saturday, March 21 for family man, avid fisherman and true "cop's cop," Joe Billy Bradley. Bradley, 75, died March 18, 2009, with his loving wife of 21 years, Mary Bradley, at his side.Bradley leaves a legacy of enthusiasm for life and the outdoors, the importance of family and a strong sense of justice to which he dedicated his entire life.Bill was born to Inez and Oscar Clyde Bradley on May 20, 1933 and raised in Port Arthur. Bradley raised his eight children on the beaches of Galveston, in the piney woods near Livingston and in neighborhoods in and around Houston.Saltwater wade fishing was his greatest vice, and Bill spent countless hours, no matter the weather, reeling in redfish, trout and black-tip shark in the surf of Galveston's West Beach with Mary. Many memorable weekends were spent in the waters of Toledo Bend on fishing expeditions with his brothers.With the nickname of "Duke of Pear Ridge," Bill graduated from Thomas Jefferson High School in Port Arthur in 1952 and accepted a football and basketball scholarship from the University of Houston, where he played varsity football.He graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in Government in 1956. While attending UH, Bill lettered in football and was president of the Kappa Alpha fraternity. He was a member of the H Association and remained a lifelong Cougars fan.He graduated from Houston Police Academy #12 in 1955, beginning a long and distinguished career in law enforcement. Drafted into the U.S. Army, Bill joined the Military Police force, serving as Acting Sergeant for the 503rd Military Police. Among his most memorable MP experiences was serving as an escort for Elvis Presley when Presley was reporting for military service in Germany.Returning to Houston, Bill rose through the ranks at the Houston Police Department, earning the respect of his peers and supervisors. During his 31-year career with HPD, he was an Auto Theft detective, earning promotions to lieutenant of Burglary and Theft, Forgery, Special Thefts and finally the Fence Detail, which received local, state and national accolades for setting records in recovering stolen property. An active lobbyist for the Houston Police Department Officers Association, Bill traveled to Austin during legislative sessions to support law enforcement issues.Bill shared his law enforcement knowledge, particularly in the area of oil field theft, with colleagues and students, as a speaker at seminars and as an instructor at Wharton County Junior College.In 1972, he and his first wife Gloria West bought and restored a 100-year-old Victorian home in which they raised four children. Bill was active in the lives of his children, volunteering as a coach for softball, football and other youth sport teams.Bill moved back to Houston when his first marriage ended, where he met Mary Carol Wilson, whom he married on May 20, 1988. He and Mary loved and supported their children and successfully blended their families, resulting in eight children who continue to support their parents and each other.Bill was a regular fixture at his children's school, theater and sporting events. He became an accomplished shade tree mechanic, not by choice, but simply to keep his eight children on the road.Bill and Mary enjoyed countless family trips to their beach house in Galveston, creating memories of counting falling stars, chasing sand crabs and enough fishing to last a lifetime and then some.Upon his retirement from HPD, Bill and Mary created Bill Bradley Investigations, working together until his health failed him, she as a polygraph examiner and he as a private investigator.A successful author, Bill published "The Twelve Judges," a fictional account of the work of a police lieutenant and his rogue detectives. At the end of his life, he was writing a children's book about a dolphin who befriended humans on a quest to save the world's oceans.He worked hard until his death to provide for his family, taking extra jobs to pay for college tuition, opportunities for his children and most recently, a Thanksgiving trip to Walt Disney World with all of his children, their families and Mary.He cherished his pets as valued family members. Rockford, his Jack Russell terrier, was a faithful companion for more than a decade. An alligator and a boa constrictor were among other family pets that he "rescued" from extra jobs as a security officer at the Houston Ship Channel.Bill and Mary loved their family, spending countless hours planning and holding family reunions, researching family ancestry and making priceless scrapbooks for each of their eight children, chronicling the stories of their lives as well as of colorful ancestors. Bill was an accomplished photographer, using this hobby for both extra money and to document his family's milestones.He is survived by his wife Mary Carol Bradley of Houston; daughters Kim Bradley Porterfield and her husband Winton of San Marcos; Alyson West Bradley Poston of Houston; Rebecca Leigh Wood Russell and her husband Greg of League City; and Melanie Jane Wilson of Houston; sons, Brian Wilson Bradley of Houston; Alan West Bradley and his wife Debbie of Katy; Clayton Arthur Wood and his wife Becky of Highlands; and Henry Lee Wilson Jr. of Houston; brother Oscar Clyde Bradley Jr. and wife Mary Lynn of Hugh Springs; former wife Gloria West Bradley of Rosenberg and numerous nieces and nephews."Peepaw" was a larger-than-life hero to his 14 grandchildren, Krystine, Lauren, Brandon, Carlie, Sara Jo, Brooks, Blake, Todd, Madison, Paige, Audrie, Riley, Avery, C.J. and his great granddaughter Laila and leaves each with special memories.He was preceded in death by his mother, Mary Inez Weeks Bradley, father Oscar Clyde Bradley, sister Betty Parker, brother George Bradley and son-in-law Jason Poston.Honorary pallbearers are Cletus Brown, Bill Dostal, Marshall Whichard, Ben Norman, Hugh Purser, Jack Ogg, Frank Albright and Bill Elsbury. Pallbearers are Gene Tandy, Freeman Martin, Charlie Bristow, Robert Shelton, Mark Roland and James Aurich.In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Trinity Baptist Church in Port Arthur, 4301 32nd St., Port Arthur, TX 77642. The family would like to express its gratitude to the kind nursing staff of Odyssey HealthCare Hospice.Visitation will be today from 6 to 8 p.m. and services will be Saturday at 12:30 p.m. at Memorial Oaks Funeral Home, 13001 Katy Fwy, Houston, Tx. 77079.