Martha Elizabeth Bradford

Martha Elizabeth Bradford, 83 of Abilene, passed away at a local nursing home on Sunday, January 19, 2014. A service will be held at 1:00 p.m. Saturday, January 25, 2014 at the University Church of Christ, 733 E.N. 16th with a burial to follow at Elmwood Memorial Park. A visitation with the family will be held Friday, January 24, 2014 from 5:30-7:30 p.m. at Piersall-Benton Funeral Directors, 733 Butternut St.

Elizabeth Bradford was born on August 27, 1930 in Abilene, Texas to A.Q. Echols and Elsie Files Echols. A life-long resident of Abilene, she graduated from Abilene High and went on to receive a Bachelors degree in Elementary Education from Abilene Christian College and a Master’s degree in Speech Therapy. It was during her freshman year at ACC that she met her husband, Jim, in an English class. Jim would later transfer schools, but the two stayed in touch and were married on May 31, 1951 at the 16th and Vine Church of Christ, two days after Elizabeth graduated from college.

During their married life, Jim and Elizabeth lived in Denton, Texas; Norman, Oklahoma; Pasadena, California and the Washington, D.C. area before returning to Abilene. Together they raised three children, Susan, Chuck and Richard. Elizabeth worked for nearly 30 years in the Abilene Independent School District as a Homebound Teacher until she retired in 1997.

Elizabeth was preceded in death by her parents and a sister, Marjorie Coffman. She is survived by her husband of 62 years, Jim, a daughter; Susan Vaughan and her husband Earle of Euless, Texas, two sons; Chuck and wife Julie Bradford of Beijing, China and Richard and wife Diane of Cedar Rapids, Iowa, her sister, Virginia Schmittou and husband Reford of Abilene, and her grandchildren, William Vaughan and wife Danna, Gretta, Grace, Caitlin, James, John, David and Paul Bradford.

Condolences may be offered to the family online at www.pbfuneraldirectors.com.