Mary Bradshaw

Mary Beth Simpson Bradshaw received her heavenly wings on February 20, 2023, after a lengthy battle with metastatic breast cancer.

She was born in Wellington, Texas on July 13, 1941, to Homer E. Simpson and Eva (Ketner) Simpson.

She never met a stranger, and welcomed her children’s friends in and claimed many of them as her own. She loved to read and had laid claim to having read Webster’s dictionary at one point, when she had nothing else to read. She read the Bible many times, cover to cover, and was more knowledgeable of the teachings, the many stories, the history surrounding each Book, than others her age, as she had the opportunity to be taught by Dr. James Trawick, a theologist and her pastor from her home church in Amarillo.

When covid hit, and the church next door to her was closed, the church members began to meet in the parking lot of the church and Mary would sit on the front porch where she could hear them and sing along with them as they praised. She knew her path and was set and took pride in that.

She was almost always smiling and laughing, ever ready to crack a joke and always saying something funny. She loved to make others laugh. Among her many “talents” held in high esteem, were clown school and belly dancing classes, which she did enjoy showing off, if only to her kids.

Although she was a jokester, she was like a mother bear when it came to protecting her own, and you really did not want to make her mad. She loved her grandchildren and her great-grands with every fiber in her being, and each held a very special place in her heart.

After moving to Lonoke to be near her grandchildren in the early 90’s she worked at several of the mini-marts and truck stops in town. She made friends with the “regulars” and the folks she worked with. She took pride in her work and worked as long as she could.

She became more outspoken with age and at one point had made a promise to herself that when she saw something she liked, she would say it, and that is how she often met so many people. If she liked an article of clothing a stranger was wearing, she would tell them how much she liked it. If she saw someone who she thought was handsome or beautiful, she would tell them. This not only made others feel good about themselves, but also made her feel that maybe she had made someone day a little brighter, and indeed, she had.

Though she had many “things” that she never got to do, or see, she had no regrets of the life she led and the lessons she learned along the way - this she tried to instill in her children and grandchildren.

Welcoming her home are her parents, Homer and Eva; brother, Gordon Brown; son-in-law, Terry Hutson; and many other family and friends.

Left to cherish her memory are her son, Darrel (Theresa) Bradshaw; daughter, Paula Hutson; grandchildren, Braxton (Hayley) Holland, Nikki (Jake Hall) Wilson, Jimmy Bradshaw, and Jessica Bradshaw; great-grands, Evan Wilson, Edward Magee, Isaac Holland, Brooklyn (Dakota) Brown, and Daniel “Bubba” Magee; and a host of friends and relatives scattered across the nation.

She is soaring with eagles and feeling no pain.

Thank you to Arkansas Hospice, and special thank you to Merideth Henry (her favorite adopted child) for being there. To granddaughter, Nikki Wilson for getting us through the nights and singing granny to sleep, and Darla Brown and Michell Cotner for their help at the house.

A memorial service will be held at 2:00PM on Wednesday, March 1, 2023, at Boyd Funeral Home, Lonoke, Arkansas.