Betty Lou Bradshaw, 88, of Columbia, wife of the late Timothy E. Bradshaw Sr., passed away on Saturday, April 1, 2023. Born on June 9, 1934, in Rockingham, North Carolina, she was a daughter of the late Luther and Rachel Steadman.

Betty grew up in the mill village of a textile mill named "Safie" in East Rockingham, NC. The family home was owned by the cotton mill on the property, typical of the many cotton mills in the area. As a child, she experienced the hard time of living in that environment from the mid 1930's and through the World War Two era, a time of rationing and supplementing food on the table from a garden. In the mill village she and her family remember going to the company store, the company theater, picking up mail at the post office, and living in a close knit setting. Her mother made sure the family went to church at the old Pentecostal church on the hill nearby where they lived. This nurturing made its mark on her. The family was always bathed in prayers from her mother and grandmother. It set the stage for a life that she would not depart.

In February 1950 she was married to Timothy E. Bradshaw Sr. who had joined the U.S. Army to escape the life of living and working in the cotton mill. Shortly after they were married, he was deployed to the Korean War serving in the 2nd Infantry Division. In the years following that experience, she enjoyed the life of an Army wife that included a trip to Germany of which she often talked about. It was where she learned how to drive a car. This the beginning of a life on the go. She loved to travel and stay on the go. She loved shopping, times had improved although she was very frugal and knew how to stretch a dollar.

In the mid 1960's, she had returned to a very devoted relationship with God. She could be found in many hours sitting reading and studying God's Word. The "on the go" became going to church and revivals. Eventually this experience led her to team up with an aunt who was a missionary and along with one of her sisters, Geneva Smith, they went on a mission trip to Jamaica. This was an experience she would never forget that for a long while remained fresh in her mind while supporting a ministry there. In 1968, she along with friends she grew up with in the Safie community got together and were instrumental in getting an Assembly of God church established in Rockingham.

In 1970, her husband retired from the Army after a tour in Viet Nam. The army life was over but the moving around from place to place continued. She enjoyed this lifestyle living in different places such as; Daytona Beach in Florida, Augusta, Georgia, Asheville, North Carolina and finally in Columbia, South Carolina.

Betty Lou lived life to the fullest, always on the go and serving God...always sharing her blessings with family and acquaintances with food and clothing. Like her mother, she had a heart to make sure those who were less fortunate could be blessed and that no one would be left behind praying for the salvation of others.

She is survived by one son, Timothy E. Bradshaw Jr. and wife Deborah of Columbia, SC. She is also survived by grandsons Robert E. Bradshaw wife Mandy and Jeremy L. Bradshaw and wife Kristi. Great grandchildren include Robert's children, Matthew, Andrew, Hannah and Jeremy's children Tanner, Kyrstin and Zachry. Betty would have been 90 years old in June 2023. She was the last surviving sibling of her generation.

Betty is preceded in her death by her husband Timothy E. Bradshaw Sr. and one of her sons, Craig Bradshaw.

The Celebration of Life for Mrs. Bradshaw will be from 4 to 6 o'clock on Tuesday April 4th at Shives Funeral Home, Trenholm Rd. Chapel, 7600 Trenholm Road Extension, Columbia, SC. A private burial took place at Richmond County Memorial Park in Rockingham, NC.