Jessie Elizabeth Warren Bradford

Jessie Elizabeth Warren Bradford, 91, of Austin, Texas passed away on June 9, 2023, bringing to a close a life that was nearly a century long and full of love for her family.
 

Jessie was born September 29, 1931 in Mission, Texas to Bertha Goodwin and Jesse Warren.

In her early life, Jessie divided her time between East Texas and South Texas and graduated from Timpson Colored High School in the mid 1940s. Jessie then went on to graduate from Prairie View A&M, and earned a Master’s in Education from the University of Texas at Austin.
 

Jessie devoted much of her life to education and helping others. She began her teaching career at the Texas Deaf Blind and Orphan School and retired from the Texas School for the Deaf in 1990. She remained busy in her retirement, volunteering at Brackenridge and Seton Hospitals.

In 1955, Jessie married a young optometrist named Sylvester Bradford. The pair raised two daughters, Jessyl Enid (1956) and Bertra Ethelyn (1957). She enjoyed traveling to be with her grandchildren as they explored the world, from Australia, to Kenya, and across the United States. Jessie was also a shrewd Scrabble player, and shared her love of the word game with all of her children and grandchildren.
 

Jessie’s faith was a central part of her life, and at her death, she was the oldest member of the Nineteenth Street Baptist Church. Jessie also was an active member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority and was a Golden Soror of the Beta Psi Chapter in Austin, Texas.

Jessie was predeceased by her parents, her husband, her siblings Calvin Harris and Pete Sample, and her son-in-law Ambassador C. Steven McGann. She is survived by her daughters Jessyl Bradford and Bertra Bradford McGann; grandchildren: Bethany Lauren McGann and spouse Paige Nelson; Bradford Warren McGann and spouse Chamille Lescott; and, Benjamin Vance Stevenson McGann; brother-in-law Nathaniel Bradford and spouse Theola; sister-in-law Arie Harris; and a host of nieces and nephews.

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