Karlee Bown Bradberry's Obituary
Karlee Bown Bradberry passed away September 25th, 2019 at her Brentwood Farm near Winslow, Arkansas surrounded by family and her three cherished dogs after a long illness. She was predeceased by her beloved husband and soulmate, ‘Brad’; her parents, William Byron and Ruth VanDyke Bown; her stepmother, Ruth Randolph Bown; a sister Ann Randolph Bledsoe; a brother, John Randolph; and a baby brother, William Byron Bown III who died in infancy.
Karlee was born in Salt Lake City, Utah on June 16th, 1932 where she had a strong Norwegian Dutch heritage of European Mormon missionaries who settled in Provo, Utah in the 19th century. However, after the death of her mother when she was 10 years old, she and her father relocated to Houston, Texas. When her father remarried, she gained the sister and brother she had always wanted and she
remained devoted to them and their families throughout her life.
She met and married her husband of 62 years, Edwin (Brad) Bradberry when they were both scholarship students at Rice University in Houston, Tx where she majored in archeology and history. Karlee was a voracious reader, collected an extensive library, and together they traveled broadly. She provided constant and unwavering support to her husband during his successful career in the oil
industry. After raising their five children in Denver, Colorado, Karlee and Brad established homes in Manhattan, on Fire Island, NY, in Fayetteville, Arkansas, and at their farm near Winslow where she felt the most at peace.
Strong and stoical in the face of adversity, but shy in the presence of strangers, Karlee loved animals and nature, quiet solitude, and most of all, spending time with her family. Together with her husband, she established a foundation at the University of Arkansas, and provided much needed financial support and medical equipment to The University of Arkansas Medical Center in Little Rock.
She is survived by her five children, Bob & Debbie Bradberry of Brentwood Farm, Rebecca & Bob Moody of Birmingham, Alabama, Karolyn & Fred Woolverton of Fayetteville, Arkansas, Bill & Shirley Bradberry of Colorado Springs, Colorado, and John & Hope Bradberry of Fayetteville, Arkansas, as well as twelve grandchildren and five great-grandchildren.
The family suggests any memorials be directed to The Mary Magdalene Serenity House in Fayetteville https://lovehealsnwa.org, a charity which she supported and which was very dear to Karlee’s heart. The family would also like to thank her primary caregivers, Alma with Washington Regional Medical
Center, Kori with PRN, and Katrina with Brightstar Care. And finally, the family would like to express their deep appreciation to Carla McCorkle as well as Pastor Lowell Grisham who were so very kind to her throughout her extended illness.
The memorial service will be at St. Paul’s Episcopal in Fayetteville, Arkansas on Monday, September 30th, 2019, at 3:30 PM under the direction of Moore’s Chapel, followed by a reception at the church.
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