Salla Stephens Bradshaw

Salla Stephens Bradshaw

December 11, 1916 – December 30, 2017

Salla Bradshaw’s life was sprinkled with S’s. Starting with her birth 101 years ago in the small southern community of Swink, Oklahoma, she was the only one of six siblings born in the Sooner State. At age three, her Gammill parents packed up the family and moved across the Oklahoma border to Arbala, a small community in Hopkins County, Texas.

Her story jumps back and forth across the Red River for many decades. At 98, she was still living at her home three miles outside of Celina, Texas. Salla surrendered her driver’s license when she sold her Chevy Malibu at the age of 97. “I wanted to sell it before my family asked me to hand over the keys,” she said sassily. Salla’s life was a love story. Outliving two husbands and her son John Stephens, she shared her love with her two daughters, Kay and Judy, her two “ornery” sons-in-law, Larry and John, seven grandchildren Karli, Kirk, Don, Josh, Katie, Johnie, Adam and 16 great grandchildren. “Ray Stephens was the love of my life,” Bradshaw said upon reflecting on her marriage with her first husband and father of her three children. She married at age 17 on December 27, 1933, to her “preacher” husband.

On September 1, 1934, with $20 and not much else, she and Ray moved to Plainview, Texas to enroll at Wayland Baptist College. In the Spring of 1937, the young couple transferred to Baylor University and later graduated with Bachelor’s degrees, of which she was most proud. After Ray’s death, Salla taught school in Frederick, Oklahoma and raised her children in that wonderful small town that embraced and supported this single mom and family. Education was so important to Salla; she encouraged all her children and grandchildren to earn a college degree. The Salla Stephens Bradshaw and John Ray Stephens Endowed Scholarship at Wayland Baptist University is a continuance of their story… a couple who completely surrendered their lives to Jesus Christ, reaped his many wonderful blessings, and shared them with others. With this endowment, her dollars are still educating four to five college students each year.

From Salla’s experiences, she understood the struggles and challenges it took to get an education. After Ray’s death, Salla remarried and enjoyed 20 years with second husband, Lewis Edward “Blue” Bradshaw, a 57-year-old bachelor from Baytown, Texas. He introduced her to golfing as the two traveled the world playing golf as part of a group of mature golfers with low handicaps. “I don’t have a favorite place. It just all depended on the people we were traveling with,” she said. “I really enjoyed the Holy Land tour with my church, First Baptist of McKinney, though.” “I’ve done everything I ever wanted to do.” Bradshaw was a fountain of youth…spry and splendid, yes, a couple more S’s. She couldn’t promise where she’d be for more than a few days at a time. But she had places to go and people to see. Now off to Heaven, her greatest trip yet, her eternal everlasting home! We love you, Gia!

Those who so desire may make memorial donations in memory of Salla to The Salla Stephens Bradshaw and John Ray Stephens Endowed Scholarship at Wayland Baptist University, 1900 W 7^th St, Plainview, TX 79072 or https://give.wbu.edu/

 

Services will be held at 1:00 p.m. on Thursday, January 4, 2018 at Matthews Funeral Home Chapel with interment on Friday, January 5,2017 at 1:00 p.m. at the Yantis Cemetery, Yantis, Texas.