MARILYN BRADLEY

1936 - 2018

Marilyn Joyce (Williams) Bradley Marilyn spent her last days in her home, surrounded by her children. She left this earth on August 19, 2018 to dance and hold hands with her husband Melvin Elmer Bradley, who was excitedly waiting for her in heaven. Mel's wish was to live one day more than Marilyn for the purpose of taking care of her. Although Melvin was not able to achieve this goal personally, he provided resources enough to surround Marilyn with loving, talented, and big-hearted caregivers. The family will be forever grateful to all the caregivers for the thoughtful, compassionate, and dedicated care for their mom (and dad) over the past three years. Marilyn was preceded in death by her husband Melvin, and her parents Virgil Lloyd Williams and Lila Margaret (Powell) Williams. Marilyn is survived by her siblings Gloria (Boushey) Weible, Jerry Williams, Sr., and Don Williams (Pam), and four children, Dennis Bradley (Laurie), Debby Knowles (Steve), Gregg Bradley (Kaye), and Gary Bradley (Sharon). Marilyn was especially proud of her grandchildren Stacy, Jay, Andrea K., Jeff, Kara, Jared, Remy, Shea, Coby, Paige, and Andrea N., and their significant others. Bringing much joy to her life were her great-grandchildren Tyson, Kaeliann, Lila, Emerie, Addelyn, Oliver, Bradley, Jude, Austin, Coby, and Holly. Beyond family, Marilyn and Mel fondly maintained cherished friendships with several couples dating back 60-plus years. These relationships were very dear to their hearts. Marilyn, an exceptionally intelligent, gracious, giving, logical, and open-minded person, accepted and loved all. Born on July 6, 1936 in Angora, Nebraska, her family moved to Washington at the age of 5, and she lived the rest of her life in the Puyallup area. While in high school Marilyn was a leader in Rainbow Girls, achieving the highest office of Worthy Advisor. This position can only be achieved after one holds each of the lower level leadership positions: Worthy Associate Advisor, Charity, Hope, and Faith. Always a fighter, especially until the end, she participated in debate club at Puyallup High School. As one of the leaders of this group, she was often asked to represent them as a speaker to important groups such as the school board. She met her lifelong love at a dance while in high school, and was married to Melvin for 60 years. The two attended as many sporting events, concerts, and important engagements of their descendants as possible. In addition, Marilyn was arguably the most devoted Mariners fan ever. After high school, Marilyn worked in the banking industry before transitioning to full-time homemaker and mom, a role in which she changed and influenced the lives of her family tremendously. An important social outlet of hers was Pinochle Club, where she spent many evenings over the years playing cards with dear, lifelong girlfriends. Bowling league at Daffodil Bowl was also an important commitment. She proudly and competitively participated for many decades, and maintained important friendships there as well. Marilyn's upright piano has been shared in many of her offspring's homes over the years. She played beautifully by ear, never needing to read music. A memorial will be held on September 7, 2018 at Cornerstone Community Church, 13314 224th Street E., Graham, WA 98338, at 4:00 pm to celebrate the life of Marilyn. Pie and ice cream will be served. In lieu of flowers, please consider donating to www.michalejfox.org for Parkinson's research.