Johnny Bradley, age 88, passed away on July 12, 2024, at Ogeechee Area Hospice after a short illness.
A devoted husband, a loving father, grandfather and great-grandfather, and a farmer in the community of Adabelle for over 50 years, Johnny will be remembered by his family, church and community for an exemplary life devoted to following Christ.
Born in Evans County to Inez and Willie Bradley, he was the third of seven children. He attended school at Canoochee School and Register High School, where he participated in football, baseball, basketball and track and field, and in each of which he was convinced he was the best man on the team.
Having been told by his father that church was the place to find a good wife, he visited the Hagan Baptist Church and decided upon his first sight and sound of Frances Anderson singing in the choir that he was going to marry her. At the time of her death in November 2020, they had been married 66 years.
Except for a few months, Johnny and Frances spent their entire married life in Bulloch County, where, after a successful career in the insurance industry, at the age of 38, he returned to Adabelle, where he had grown up and launched a farming operation with his son, which the two of them maintained up until shortly before his death.
A member of East Main Street Church of God, he served as a teacher in adult ministries for over 60 years. For nearly 20 years, he led a community Bible study at the family pond house.
A natural orator, in 1980, Johnny testified before a congressional subcommittee on the growing agricultural crisis. Described as a “Bible-quoting baritone” by the national press, his testimony was shared in news media across the country. In 2016, his story of growing up as the son of a sharecropper was broadcast on National Public Radio and included in the book, “Callings.”
He is survived by his children, Keith Bradley of Register, Kathy Bradley of Register and Katherine Bradley (Neil Midkiff) of Nerja, Spain; his grandchildren, Adam (Jennifer) Bradley of Rentz, Georgia; and Kate Viana (Peri Finch) of Suwanee, Georgia; and his great-grandchildren, Jackson Bradley and Chambless Bradley of Rentz, Georgia; and Adria Jane Viana of Suwanee, Georgia. He is also survived by one brother, W.B. (Nancy) Bradley of Claxton; and three sisters, Linda Sammons (James) Harris, Sue Mock and June Braswell, all of Statesboro; two sisters-in-law, Doris Bradley of Statesboro and Margaret Green of Collins; and one brother-in-law, Steve Anderson of Collins; along with a number of nieces and nephews.
Visitation was held on Monday, July 15, 2024, from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. at Joiner-Anderson Funeral Home and a funeral service was held Tuesday, July 16, 2024, at 11 a.m. in the chapel of Joiner-Anderson Funeral Home with Pastor Lelon Jeffers officiating. Burial followed in the Ephesus Primitive Baptist Church Cemetery, Register.
Serving as pallbearers were nephews, Jim Anderson, Brett Brinson, Clay Mock, Rick Mock, Carl Sammons Jr. and Justin Hendrix.
Remembrances may be made to Ogeechee Area Hospice, P.O. Box 531, Statesboro, GA 30459, to which the family offers its deepest gratitude for the compassionate care offered in the last several weeks.
Friends may sign the online register at www.joineranderson.com.
Joiner-Anderson Funeral Home & Crematory of Statesboro is in charge of the arrangements.
To send flowers to the family or plant a tree in memory of Johnny, please visit the funeral home's floral store.
Statesboro Herald, July 18, 2024
Sign the Legacy online guestbook at www.statesboroherald.com.