A Great Lady

I'm not sure what you say or do when one of your mom's best friends dies. My mother loved Katherine, and she loved Owen as well; even though Katherine hadn't been herself for a long time, my mother would still visit her and often spoke of all the fun they had together. I'm glad she's at peace now, and I know my mother is at a loss, even if she considers it a blessing. I hope I have friends who will stay by my side like these two did. And God bless the Bradleys for mentioning my mom's friendship. It warms my heart.
~taminator40


Mary "Katherine" (Franklin) Bradley
BRADLEY, Mary "Katherine" Franklin, passed away on Tuesday, August 5, 2008 while residing at Woodcrest at The Blakeford in Burton Hills, Nashville, TN. Katherine was born on December 27, 1915 in Nashville. She was preceded in death by her husband, Country Music Hall of Fame Member, Owen Bradley, and by her parents, Clevie Franklin Ligon and William C. Franklin, and by her brother, William C. Franklin, Jr.. She is survived by daughter, Patsy Bradley; son, Jerry (Connie) Bradley; grandchildren, Leigh Bradley Jankiv (Grimbsby, Ontario, CN), Clay (Sara) Bradley; great-grandchildren, Josh, Eli and Emma Jankiv (Grimbsby, Ontario, CN), John Owen and Grace Bradley; brother-in-law, Harold (Eleanor) Bradley; and numerous nieces and nephews. Katherine attended East High School. She was a member of Trinity Presbyterian Church in Nashville, Cook's United Methodist Church in Mt. Juliet, and The Church by the Lake at Cedar Creek Club in Mt. Juliet. She was a member of Cedar Creek Yacht Club for over 50 years and a member of the Nashville Yacht Club. She traveled throughout Europe, Canada, the Panama Canal, Alaska and the continental United States with her travel group from Glasgow, KY. She was a member of the Donelson Red Hat Club. Katherine was a loving and devoted wife, mother, grandmother, great-grandmother and friend. She met her husband-to-be when they were in the 8th grade. They married in 1935 and shared 62 happy years together. She was the homemaker while Mr. Bradley pursued his musical career, which he began at the age of 15, playing piano. He was Musical Director at WSM Radio and formed the Owen Bradley Orchestra, which was considered Nashville's premier dance band for society events until 1964. Owen and his brother Harold built the first recording studio on Music Row, where he produced many of country music's greatest artists, including Brenda Lee, Patsy Cline, Loretta Lynn and Kitty Wells. Mr. and Mrs. Bradley made their home at Cedar Creek on Old Hickory Lake in Mt. Juliet for over 25 years. They loved entertaining family, friends and civic groups on their houseboat "Studio A". The Bradley family would like to thank Katherine's friends, Cecile Light, Martha Koudelka, Mary Elizabeth Webster, Janet Gregory, Pearl Williams, Jackie McMillin, Mary Mitchell, Michael Sayles and all the caregivers at Woodcrest at Blakeford for their loving care, especially The Memory Care Staff - Valerie, Hester, Selena, Rebecca, Cierra and Linda, as well as Karen Heath and Alive Hospice of Nashville.