Geraldine Sliffe Bradshaw died July 22, 2009 in Pocatello, Idaho, of causes incident to aging. She was 95 years old.
Geraldine was born Dec. 18, 1913, to Jacob Benjamin Sliffe and Melissa Cora Hand Sliffe in her parent's farmhouse near Adrian, Mo. She was the youngest of four daughters. The family moved to Kansas City, Mo., where she grew up. In 1942, she married Marion Fonville in Arizona. They soon moved to San Diego, Calif., and later divorced.
On Dec. 12, 1952, she married William Fremont (Bill) Bradshaw, whom she had met while they both worked at a furniture store in San Diego. They lived in Ocean Beach, where her husband worked as a mortician and their first son, William Bryan Bradshaw was born. The family later moved to Burbank, Calif., and Ventura, Calif., where her husband continued in the funeral business. Their son, Christopher Kent Bradshaw was born while they lived in Ventura.
In 1966, after Bill went into the life insurance business, they moved to Ojai, Calif. In 1969 the family moved to Cheney, Wash., where Bill continued selling life insurance until the late 1980s. He died on his 70th birthday in 1992. Soon after her husband's death, Geraldine moved to Spokane to be near her son, Chris. When he left Spokane in 2002, she moved to Pocatello to be near her son, Bill. There, she lived in an independent living facility until moving in with Bill and his family in 2007. In 2008, age was finally catching up with her and she moved into nursing homes in Pocatello.
Geraldine was an accomplished artist, having produced a number of oil paintings. She also loved to sing, a talent she most often used to praise the Lord. She loved to travel and especially enjoyed being around her children and grandchildren. But most of all, her heart was focused on the Lord Jesus and her relationship with Him. For years before her death, she said she was eager to go to be with Him. Therefore, this is not a time to mourn but a time to rejoice for her.
Geraldine is survived by her sons, Bill (Margaret) Bradshaw and Chris Bradshaw; stepchildren Bruce (Sunny) Bradshaw and Pam Bradshaw; grandchildren Seth Bradshaw, Zachariah (Lynn) Bradshaw, James Bradshaw and Holly Bradshaw; step-grandchildren Amber Compher, Brad Compher, Deanne Bradshaw, Damon (Elisa) Bradshaw, Tamara Bradshaw, Kim Bradshaw Jr., Travis Bradshaw, Troy Bradshaw, Heather Davis and Erin Morrell; one great-grandchild; 15 step-great-grandchildren; nephews Ken (Kathy) Bush and Sid (Brinda) Bush; and numerous great-nieces and nephews.
She was preceded in death by her husband, William F. Bradshaw; her parents, her sisters, Irene Sliffe, Lucille Winton and Dorothy Bush; a stepson, Kim W. Bradshaw; a niece, Carol Keeney; and a nephew, David Bush. A private graveside service for family will be at noon Friday, July 31, 2009, at Fairview Cemetery on Salnave Road in Cheney, followed at 1 p.m. by a memorial service at Cheney Funeral Chapel, located at 1632 W. First St. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations to Village Missions online at http://www.village-missions.org.
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