Juanita Rose Bradley

Juanita Rose Bradley, 83, passed away peacefully, with her family by her side, from complications after a stroke, on November 28, 2019, in Boulder, Colorado. Born on August 29, 1936, to Rose and Lonas, in Chicago, Illinois, Juanita attended Falconer Grade School thru the 8th grade and St. Gregory’s Catholic High School where she played basketball, volleyball, softball, was a cheerleader, newspaper editor and the secretary for the senior class. After high school, she went on to attend Mundelein College for a semester, then Wright College where she studied Speech and Drama.

Throughout her growing up years, Juanita took dance classes and studied the piano, becoming an accomplished pianist. Music, dance and theater played a vibrant role throughout her life, from her youth throughout adulthood. She choreographed dance numbers and directed plays for fundraisers for her church and in other local settings. She was very involved in the Catholic church, teaching catechism to 4 graders. She was active as a girl scout leader for a time. She participated as an actress in local community theatre productions for many years, venturing into musical comedy in her late thirties for the first time. Her role as Adelaide in Guys and Dolls at the Topeka Civic Dinner Theater won her a best actress award at the local level.

She met her first husband, Ron, in the production of Picnic at Wright College, in which they both had the leading roles. They married in 1956 in Chicago and had six children from that union, which ended in 1980. After moving to Topeka, KS in the early 70's, she continued to be a homemaker, then took a job as a Secretary for the Sheriff’s Department for a few years. She became an Administrative Assistant and Bailiff for the judges of the Third Judicial District Court of Shawnee County from 1980 thru 1996, a job she thoroughly enjoyed and for which she was highly regarded. She also taught piano lessons, and took contract typing jobs as an adjunct to her full time work.

Having dated Richard Bradley, of Topeka, Kansas, for a number of years, they married in 1996 and moved to Fort Worth, Texas where Richard was relocated in his career for the Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railroad. Juanita worked a few more years before retiring in her early 60’s. She and Dick were active together, playing tennis in their earlier years, bowling in leagues throughout their later years, and becoming involved in dog shows with their two beloved Westies. For a number of years, she and Dick travelled in their RV to many dog shows throughout Texas and Oklahoma to compete in agility trials, in which she was the handler for her dogs, Grady and Lyndy. She enjoyed participating in the local Westie Club and for a time was the editor for their newsletter. She was also a longtime fan of the Kansas Jayhawks basketball team, and watched their games religiously.

Juanita and Dick were together for 35 years prior to his passing away in September of 2018. In May, 2019, with her health declining, Juanita moved to Boulder, Colorado to be closer to a number of family members. Juanita will be remembered for her infectious smile and upbeat and fun-loving personality. She was loved by many and will be sorely missed.

Juanita was preceded in death by her husband, Richard Bradley of Fort Worth, Texas, and her eldest daughter, Susan Winters of Overland Park, Kansas. She is survived by five children: Amy Winters, of Boulder, CO (son-in-law, John Whitney); Scott Winters, of Fort Collins, CO; Ronnie Winters, of Scottsdale, AZ; Dana Winters, of Fort Worth, TX; and Chris Winters, of Madison, WI (daughter-in-law, Jillian). She is also survived by five grandchildren, Eric, Andrew, Ian, Megan and Lola.

A Celebration of Life will be held on Saturday, January 18, 2020 at 2:00pm at Lucas Funeral Home, 1601 Main Street, Keller, Texas. A reception will follow the event on site. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Alzheimer Association or The American Heart Association.

The family invites Juanita's friends and extended family to share any memories or stories they have of their time with Juanita on the tribute page of this website.