Justin Nathaniel Bradley (Mountain Grove)'s Obituary
Justin Nathaniel Bradley, 41, Nashville, Tennessee, departed this life on October 10, 2017 at his residence following a brief illness.
Justin was born on April 24, 1976 at Houston, Missouri, to Louis Ray and Teresa Ellen (Dale) Bradley. He grew up in Mountain Grove, Missouri, and graduated from Mountain Grove Christian Academy in 1994. He was an outstanding athlete in soccer and basketball. Justin attended Southwest Baptist University in Bolivar, Missouri, for two years, and then transferred to Free Will Baptist Bible College in Nashville, Tennessee, where he graduated in 2000 with a double major in Bible and Business Administration.
Justin accepted Christ as his Savior in 1983 at seven years of age, in a revival at First Free Will Baptist Church, with evangelist Charles Harris. He was saved with six other youngsters that night, and they all followed in baptism.
Justin was an avid reader, a love he developed as a youngster. He learned to read very well at age four, and almost every night of his young life, he would fall asleep with a pile of his books around him. It opened up a great big world to him. Very often we would call and ask what he was up to, and his answer was, "I was sitting out on the balcony reading a book."
Justin attended Summit Ministries youth camp in Colorado three summers, twice as an attendee, and once as a camp counselor. He was well-grounded in his Christian faith, and Summit gave him a positive perspective of the world view of Christian living. He had a soft heart for broken people, and offered help for those in need. He was even on a first-name basis with a homeless man, and often would help him get into a shelter on cold nights, and would make sure he had plenty to eat.
Justin enjoyed working. When he was barely old enough to push a lawnmower, he lined up customers for a successful mowing business. He earned enough mowing lawns to pay for his first car. In the last two years of high school, he worked at McDonald's. While at SBU, he worked at a grocery store. After transferring to Nashville, Justin was a valet, parking cars at Ruth's Chris Restaurant. At the same time, he was introduced to a branch of Revenue Source Group, working in the solid waste division doing spreadsheets, billing, and office management. He was passionate about his profession and continued to move up in the company. At the time of his passing, he was the Director of Operations of RSG.
Justin was always the life of the party, and he lit up the room with his personality and sharp sense of humor. He loved his many cousins, and he always treated his friends like family. The annual Backgammon tournament was an event he looked forward to, competing with his beloved friends. For many years, he and his buddies would huddle together to get their fantasy football teams organized. He had two dogs, Denzel and Dottie, he doted on as they kept him company.
He was preceded in death by both of his grandfathers, Floyd Troy Bradley, and Jack Frederick Dale. He was proud of how both of his grandfathers served in the Army; Floyd during the Korean War, and Jack in occupied Japan. Pictures of them in their uniforms were proudly displayed in his office. Justin was also proud of the Christian legacy both men left for their families. At their respective funeral services, their pastors said the same thing about both of them by saying, "Here lies my right-hand man."
He leaves his parents, Ray and Teresa Bradley of Mountain Grove, Missouri; his paternal grandmother, Ruth Bradley, Bridgeport, Texas; maternal grandmother, Betty Dale, Mountain Grove, Missouri; uncles, Troy Bradley and wife Darlene of Watauga, TX, Greg Bradley and wife Laura, Pilot Point, TX, Chris Dale and wife Carol, Mountain Grove, MO; aunts, Tonya Lancaster and husband Joel, Norwood, MO, and Melanie Bradley, Bridgeport, TX; cousins, Adam Dale and wife Amanda, Matthew Shannon and wife Christina, Andrew Dale and wife Dacie, Allison Dale, Nathan Shannon, Josh Shannon, Angie Bradley, Amy Culver and husband Brian, Monica Boren and husband Michael, Maddison Paige Fenner and husband Marc, and Cameron Wayne Bradley; a host of other relatives and friends who will miss him very much.
Graveside services will be 10:00 a.m. Saturday, October 14, 2017, at the Willow Springs Cemetery north of Mountain Grove, Missouri, with Rev. Gary Fry and Rev. Michael Walker officiating. Visitation will be 6-8 p.m. Friday, October 13 at First Free Will Baptist Church, Mountain Grove, Missouri.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests that memorial contributions be made to Fannie Battle Day Home for Children, 108 Chapel Avenue, Nashville, TN 37206; or to Compassion International online at www.compassion.org/ways-to-donate.htm in memory of Justin Bradley.
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