Wednesday, August 21, 2024

James Ralph Bradley Obituary

 


James Ralph Bradley
1952 ~ 2023

Woodland, UT-James Ralph Bradley, a man of kindness, strength, and compassion passed away suddenly in the early hours of January 19, 2023. Jim was born on March 9, 1952, in Salt Lake City, Utah, to Mildred Harris and Ralph Otis Bradley, the eighth of fourteen children. The Bradley home was filled with laughter, love and loyalty, creating solid sibling connections. His family and friends loved hearing about his many excellent childhood adventures, including pet monkeys, falling out the second story window-walking away unharmed, taking a hammer to the brand new grand piano, stacking all the siblings two to three deep to drive to church, and hitchhiking across the country to visit his brother in New York.

Jim attended East High School and graduated from the University of Utah. His education prepared him for varied professions in sales, the Utah Department of Agriculture, and real estate. His desert outdoor survival course in the 1970's was iconic in his life. There he embraced living in the moment. The passion and knowledge he gained in the beautiful western desert harshness gave him increased confidence. Those values, his character, curiosity, and intellect contributed to his successful, fulfilled life. Jim never said no when asked for help. He was asked frequently because his first response was "I'll be right there". He had access to a furniture truck, a skid steer "Bob", and he could fix anything! He loved the people with whom he worked, and was honored to serve European students in their pursuit of higher education through BYU-Pathway Worldwide.

On June 26, 1975, Jim married the love of his life, Shauna Smoot, in the Salt Lake Temple. Soulmates for over 50 years, they rode horses, camped, traveled extensively, and parented their three treasured children, Jake, Erik (Nicole), and Lauren. Firm with his expectations, Jim's tender, silly, loving demeanor always kept his family laughing. Humanitarian trips to Mexico each Christmas were a yearly highlight with his family, in which he taught them to explore new places and serve others.

Jim loved living at the ranch in Pine Valley, including his daily routine of feeding his horses, birds, and gardening. The Bradley home on the ranch was open to everyone, creating cherished memories, crazy events, campfires with Skinwalker stories, s'mores and songs. Jim and Shauna created everlasting memories as they provided horseback rides to the young and old, making every visitor feel loved and valuable to them. Jim's children and grandchildren were his world, bringing him immeasurable joy. Their grandchildren include Abe, Jordan, Owen, Sierra, Jace, and Brooke. They knew that Pops would do anything for them, including three trips to McDonald's in one day! The kids would even get up early to be with Pops to feed the horses or tend to the bees. He especially loved his horses and dogs, and they loved him. His self-effacing, unpretentious nature was epic.

"You are already closer than where you started, so keep going," was one of his sayings in encouraging hard work. With his Savior Jesus Christ as his example, he found good in others, always bringing a smile to everyone. Kindness and acceptance are his legacy. Everyone loved being with Jim!

This last year, Jim demonstrated immense courage in his treatments for cancer. Through humor and optimism, he inspired those around him to love life and honor each day. His North Star of faith, love, and family guided him throughout his life.

A celebration of life will be held Saturday, February 4, 12:00 MDT, at the Kamas Stake Center, 3038 State Rd,Utah-32, Marion, Utah. Gathering of family and friends after at the Oakley Red Barn, 4300 State Rd, Ut-32, Oakley, Utah.

In lieu of flowers, please follow Jim's example and give a kind act of service-make someone smile.

Happy Trails until we meet again! Vaya con Dios, mi amor

 

 

Kathy Bradley Offret Obituary

 

OBITUARIES

Anchorage Daily News (AK) |  4 May 1987


Services for Kathleen Bradley Offret, 39, will be held at 4 p.m. Tuesday at the Brayton Chapel of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latterday Saints, 13111 Brayton Drive. Bishop Charles Christian will officiate. A second service will be held at noon Friday at the Federal Heights Chapel of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latterday Saints in Salt Lake City, Utah.

Mrs. Offret died of cancer May 1 at her home in Anchorage.

Born in Salt Lake City, Utah, Sept. 29, 1947, she attended the University of Utah, Utah State University and graduated from Brigham Young University with a bachelor's degree in child development and family relationships. She worked in Hawaii, Washington, D.C. and, in Boston, was the executive secretary to the dean at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. She married Ronald A. Offret on Feb. 20, 1974, in Salt Lake City. She and her family lived in Alaska from 1974 to 1981, and from 1984 to present. An active member of the LDS

Church, she taught in the Relief Society Young Women's Primary and Seminary of the church.

She leaves her husband, Ronald; her son, Craig; and her daughters, Rebecca, Elizabeth, Amy and Nicole, all of Anchorage; and her parents, Ralph and Mildred Bradley of Salt Lake City, Utah.

Burial will be in Salt Lake City. Local arrangements by Evergreen Memorial Chapel.

 

Sunday, February 6, 2022

Susan Bradley Dorrough

Obituary for Susan Bradley Dorrough

Susan Bradley Dorrough passed away on January 31, 2022. Sue was a devoted member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and was a true saint in every sense of the word. She committed her life to following Christ by serving others selflessly with patience, kindness and love.

Sue was a resident of Hillsboro, Oregon for nearly 50 years and loved the Pacific Northwest and her friends there.

Sue was born on May 5, 1943 in Chicago, Illinois to Ralph O. and Mildred H. Bradley. From Illinois, the family moved to Salt Lake City where Sue grew up. Sue was a talented pianist and organist with a very sharp mind. She took lessons from the tabernacle organist and received a full-tuition scholarship to Brigham Young University. She had considerable talent and was encouraged to pursue a career. However, she considered this only briefly, as her preeminent goal was to be the best wife and mother she could be – and that she did.

The depth of her experience raising children was extraordinary. She was the oldest daughter in a family of 14 children. She willingly and happily relished the role as first assistant in raising her siblings, and was well known for her nurturing, discipline and caring nature with them. About the time her last sibling was born, while attending BYU, she met her sweetheart Leslie G. Dorrough. They married and were truly devoted to each other for over 54 mostly delightful years.

Susan and Les had eight children, each of whom thought they were the favorite. Sue was absolutely devoted in raising and caring for her children who were energetic, adventurous, curious and creative, particularly with their use of free time. As her children became adults, they all came to realize her remarkable aptitude for giving patient guidance in high-stress situations, which her children gave her the opportunity to refine nearly daily. For those that may have had doubts, all of her children are now responsible adults with families of their own.

She was an exceptional wife and mother, and taught many lessons to her children, mostly through her example of love, patience, kindness, discipline, genuine concern, continual pursuit of learning, optimism and trusting in God. Sue gave every bit of energy and attention she had to her family, church and community. She was selfless. For 70+ years, it seemed that her greatest satisfaction came from fulfilling the needs of others.

For decades, she supplemented the family income by teaching piano lessons in her home. She was a church organist even longer. Her love for music has carried through to her family.

Later in her life, as her energy faded, she gave all that she had to nurturing her children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren. Sometimes in order to make a special event, she knew that she would later face an extended recovery period. Everyone she touched knew that she cared. On Sundays, she would attend church services virtually in Hillsboro, Oregon; Farmington, UT; and Alpine, UT.

She was a lifelong learner, always reading non-fiction books to better understand the world around her. In her late ‘70s, she decided to start learning Spanish, which she faithfully did every day together with her exercise and piano rituals.

Sue is survived by seven of her eight children: David (Michelle), Stephen (Kit), Mark (Jill), Rebecca (Curtis Child), Jon (Ellen), Michael (Shanna), Joshua (Kristy), and 43 grandchildren and 2 great-grandchildren. She is preceded in death by her husband Leslie; her daughter, Anne (Ron Hanset); sister Kathy; her parents Ralph and Mildred Bradley; and her parents-in-law, Kennedy and Olga Dorrough.

Funeral services will be held on Saturday February 5 at 10:00 a.m. at the church at 676 Eagle View Drive in Alpine, UT. A viewing will be held prior to the funeral from 9:00 to 9:45 am.

Interment will be at Salt Lake City Cemetery (Uinta Avenue) at 2:00 pm on Saturday February 5. In lieu of flowers, Sue would prefer that in her memory you go out of your way to extend kindness to another today.

The family is collecting memories, and would appreciate any being sent to: dorroughmemories@gmail.com

Sue, Mom and Grandma - We will miss you, but we know this is not the end.

Sunday, February 16, 2020

1948 - Five Children

Stephen Robert        Susan           Judith          Craig Stewart       Kathleen

Sunday, December 9, 2018

Talk at Kathy's Alaska Funeral




Kathy Offret Funeral Remarks given by a friend who was a member of the Stake Presidency.

In behalf of Ron and Kathy, the children, Kathy’s immediate and extended family, and all
of us who know her and love her, I thank you for being here. Knowing Kathy^ the size
of this congregation is no surprise. Kathy is the consummate "people person". My wife
frequently has stated that Kathy collects people. I think that is strongly in evidence here
today.

She has a quality about her that causes us each to think that we are her best friend.
However, the phrase "best friend" never has been, or ever will be singular in Kathy's
mind, only plural.

Since Ron asked me to speak I have had little else on my mind but what I might say.
Early on I knew that I had better be careful. Most certainly Kathy is well aware of these
proceedings, and if I "screw this up" somehow, someday, she will make sure that I hear
about it.

To Kathy, I would definitely "blow it" if I got emotional, or maudlin, or carried on about
what a great person she is, though we all know that to be the case. She would definitely
want this to be "no big deal".

Consequentially I have to tell some "Kathy stories".
A couple of years ago Kathy and Ron decided to take Sharon and I out for my birthday.
My birthday is in July, but our schedules were such that we didn’t get together until fairly
late in the fal1.

They decided that we had to be introduced to their favorite restaurant, a hole-in-the-wall
Cajun place in Girdwood—the Double Musky Inn. The place doesn't take reservations,
and by the time we arrived, we had about a three hour wait to get a table. For most of
that time Kathy kept us laughing telling us stories about her years as a single adult before
she met and married Ron.

Oh, by the way, she and Ron also give me a birthday present. She had found out some
way, how I’ll never know, that my middle name is Roy. So naturally she bought me a
Roy Rogers cowboy hat neatly wrapped, with an appropriate card.

She told the story of how she finished her education at BYU. It was spring. She was sick
of school, and was only a few credit hours short of graduation. She wanted to get them
out of the way as quickly as she could in the first session of summer school. She went
through the class schedule, and picked the first class that had enough hours, and that she
could complete in 30 days. There was a catch. It was a special "Survival Class" where
students were taken to the most remote part of the southern Utah desert, and required to
survive for 30 days on the limited supplies they were allowed to take with them and what
they could find in the desert.

We sat listening, suspended somewhere between amazement and hilarity, as she
described eating snakes and lizards, climbing rocks, walking for miles, and her contempt
for the wimps, particularly the boys, who couldn't cut it and quit.

Another story that particularly typified Kathy was an experience that occurred in Boston,
after she had graduated, and before she married Ron. She was working as a secretary at
MIT at the time, and was seriously considering getting an MBA degree there. She lived
in an old brownstone apartment building that was situated in a pretty rough area of
Boston. It had no air conditioning and the sounds of police sirens, fights, and even gun
shots frequently drifted through the windows left open to give some relief from the
oppressive humidity of the Boston summer. Consequentially she was generally quite
careful about being alone, particularly late at night.

One weekend all the people in her building were gone, except for two young women who
had just arrived from Salt Lake to spend the summer with her. She had volunteered to
babysit for some friends and was out later then she had intended, staying and talking with
them after they came home.

As she drove her car to the apartment, it was well after midnight and she was tired. As
she parked her car, she noticed a man loitering at the base of the steps to her building.
Normally she would have had the wisdom to drive off, but she just wanted to get to bed
so she got out of the car and started up the steps.

As she did, the man pulled a knife on her and in a threatening manner told her to, "Come
here!"
She said her heart nearly stopped. She had always wondered what she would do in such a
situation and now she was about to find out. There was little hope of running away. He
would surely catch her. She wasn't so sure what good screaming would do considering
the neighborhood she lived in and that no one but the two young women were home.
She measured the distance to the door with her eye, but knew she could never get to the
front door; get her key out; the door unlocked; and safely inside before he could grab her.
She then took a typically Kathy approach to her problem. She put her hands on her hips,
looked at the man in disgust, and said, "I haven't got time for this!" and ran up the steps
and began pushing all the door bells. As the ring of the bells drifted through the open
windows of the empty apartments, Kathy's assailant looked at her in astonishment and
then ran off.

This is the same attitude that Kathy took towards her illness—“I haven't got time for
this.” I only hope that I can face my own inevitable death, with the same courage, faith,
and dignity with which she faced hers.

The death of a loved one, particularly someone as young and vibrant as Kathy is always
painful for those who remain behind in this mortal life. It is rarely welcomed or
celebrated. However, those who understand the Plan of Salvation authored by our
Father-in-Heaven realize that our grief should be confined to sorrow for the separation
we experience, which prevails only temporarily. Death does not bring the black abyss of
non-existence that some preach as truth. The immortality of man is a reality that gives
purpose to our existence and lends faith and hope to the human heart.

Christ has proclaimed:
For behold, this is my work and my glory—to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man. I am the resurrection and the life. He that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live; And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die.

There are three ways that Kathy and all of us live after death. First is through our deeds, whether they are good or evil. Our actions and our personality live on in the minds of our family and acquaintances long after our passing. Secondly, we live through our posterity as our name and blood are perpetuated through our progenitors. And lastly we live beyond death because the spirit that resides within our mortal bodies is immortal and cannot die.

This spirit was created by God long before we came to this earth. Moses records these words given to him in revelation;

For I, the Lord God, created all things, spiritually, before they were naturally upon the face of the earth. . . And I, the Lord God, created all the children of men; for in heaven created I them; and there was not yet flesh upon the earth, neither in the water, neither in the air.

This scripture reveals that God is truly our Father and that literally we all are brothers and sisters, for each of our spirits were created by Him in heaven before we came to earth.
At birth, our spirit comes from the presence of God and enters our mortal, physical body created by our earthly parents. But this initial joining of the spirit to the body is temporary, for with birth death becomes inevitable for all of us.

By the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, until thou shalt return unto the ground . . . for thou shalt surely die—for out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou wast, and unto dust shalt thou return.

At death our spirit returns to the presence of God to await the resurrection when our spirit will permanently be reunited with our restored body. The prophet Alma confirms this in his sermon to his son Shiblon when he writes:

Now, concerning the state of the soul between death and the resurrection—Behold, it has been made known unto me by an angel, that the spirits of all men, as soon as they are departed from this mortal body, yea, the spirits of all men, whether they be good or evil, are taken home to that God who gave them life.

And then shall it come to pass, that the spirits of those who are righteous are received into a state of happiness, which is called paradise, a state of rest, a state of peace, where they shall rest from all their troubles and from all care, and sorrow.

This dwelling of our spirits in a state of paradise, in the presence of God that Alma describes is, like our life on earth also temporary. For it is our Father's plan that we not remain spirits, but that at Christ's Second Coming our bodies be raised from the dead, restored completely, made immortal and reunited with our spirits, just as the Saviour Himself was resurrected.

The Apostle Paul states:
Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him. For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive.

The ancient prophet Job of the Old Testament inquires of the Lord, “If a man die, shall he live again?” And after being told of the resurrection states, “For I know that my redeemer liveth, and that he shall stand at the latter day upon the earth: And again though skin worms destroy this body, yet in my flesh shall I see God.”
Christ, the son of God, came to this earth voluntarily for two main purposes. First to atone for the sins of all mankind, that if we repent, and believe on Him we may be forgiven of our sins. Secondly, He freely gave up His life, allowing himself to be
crucified, and by doing so was able to take it up again and become an immortal,
resurrected being—His spirit and body permanently linked together, never again to taste
pain or death.

In the New Testament when He appears to the Apostles for the first time after His
crucifixion and subsequent resurrection, Luke records that Christ stated:

Why are ye troubled? And why do thoughts arise in your hearts? Behold my hands and my feet, that it is I myself: handle me and see; for a spirit hath not flesh and bones, as ye see me have.

John the Beloved expands on this and tells us that we also will be resurrected;
Beloved now are we the sons of God, . . .we know that, when he shall appear we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is.

But to get a detailed description of the resurrection we must turn to the words of that great ancient missionary Amulek.

And he shall come into the world to redeem his people: and he shall take upon him the transgressions of those who believe in his name; and these are they that shall have eternal life, and salvation cometh to none else.

Therefore, the wicked remain as though there had been no redemption made, except it be the loosing of the bands of death; for behold, the day cometh that all shall rise from the dead and stand before God, and be judged according to their works.

Now, there is a death which is called a temporal death; and the death of Christ shall loose the bands of this temporal death, that all shall be raised from this temporal death.

The spirit and the body shall be reunited again in its perfect form; both limb and joint shall be restored to its proper frame, even as we now are at this time;

Now, this restoration shall come to all, both old and young, both bond and free, both male and female, both the wicked and the righteous; and even there shall not so much as a hair of their heads be lost; but everything shall be restored to its perfect frame, as it is now,. . . and shall be brought and be arraigned before the bar of Christ the Son, and God the Father, and the Holy Spirit, . .to be judged according to their works, whether they be good or whether they be evil.

Amulek testified plainly that all mankind shall be raised from the dead. That our bodies will be totally restored and made immortal never to taste death again, and that we shall be reunited with our loved ones. Death is only a temporary condition that all of us must endure. Its pain is only the grief of a temporary separation, not as the world would have us believe the end of existence.

However our grief is deep and real, particularly when someone as young and as loved as
Kathy is taken by death from her family and friends. Many might ask, "Why this must be?" Some may be tempted to rail against God, questioning His love for us to allow such things to happen. Others may question Kathy's faith, or worthiness to have the hand of
God intervene in her life and heal her. Such thoughts are composed of the vilest hue and come from that diabolical father of all lies.

Kathy, Ron, and their family have kept their thoughts and faith far above such a sordid plane. I have heard them speak only with appreciation for the peace and comfort that their Lord has granted them through His Spirit which they have felt in abundance as
Kathy's illness progressed.

I know of no one more worthy of His blessings, or no one who has had more, faithful, worthy prayers offered in their behalf then Kathy and Ron. They do not feel abandoned by their God. We do them a great disservice to question that which they do not. They know that He has heard their prayers, but He in his great wisdom, for purposes we do not understand has said. "No."

Just as a child cannot always comprehend the reasoning behind the rules, discipline, and requirements of his parents neither can we as infant children of our Heavenly Parents comprehend all that God does or does not do.

The Prophet Isaiah understood this.
For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord.

For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.

King Benjamin in his last great address to his people before his own death spoke to the same theme:

For the natural man is an enemy to God and has been from the fall of Adam, and will be forever and ever, unless he yields to the enticings of the Holy Spirit, and putteth off the natural man and becometh a saint through the atonement of Christ the Lord, and becometh as a child, submissive, meek, humble, patient, full of love, willing to submit to all things which the Lord seeth fit to inflict upon him, even as a child doth submit to his father.

Kathy fought her illness with all her might, facing it with faith, courage, and dignity. She prayed fervently to her Father-In-Heaven and felt of His peace and spirit. She accepted with faith His desires for her. We must do likewise.

If we truly desire to honor her let us put out of our lives any bitterness we may harbor about her death. She certainly had none. Let us look at our own lives and try to implement those qualities so abundant in hers: commitment to God and church; an enthusiasm for life; service to others; and love of family and friends.

Oh how grateful I am that Christ was willing to lay down His life, not only for Kathy but for all of us, and provide the Atonement that we might live again. This is the knowledge
that sustains; this is the truth that comforts; this is the assurance that guides those bowed down with grief out of the shadows and into the light.

In the words of the Prophet Joseph:
And now, after the many testimonies which have been given of him, this is the testimony, last of all, which we give of him: That he lives!
For we saw him, even on the right hand of God; and we heard the voice bearing record that he is the Only Begotten of the Father—
That by him, and through him, and of him, the worlds are and were created, and the inhabitants thereof are begotten sons and daughters unto God.

Because of this great sacrifice which the Saviour made in our behalf, not only does Kathy
now live as a spirit, but she shall be resurrected—her spirit to be reunited with a perfected
and immortal body once again to be with her husband, and children, and family to whom
she has been eternally sealed in God's sacred temple, by His holy priesthood. To this fact
I bear witness in His holy name, Amen.

Talk given at Salt Lake City funeral of Kathy Bradley Offret


Talk given at funeral of Kathy Bradley Offret
May 8, 1987 in Federal Heights Ward by Hazel S. Cannon

          A number of years ago she entered the Relief Society room just a few minutes before time for the meeting to convene with two lovely little children in tow.  Her pretty face was radiant with smiles.  Immediately that room came alive.  There were handshakes and hugs and heartwarming comments:  “We are so happy you’re back.”  “We have really missed you.”  “You are just what our ward needs.”

          I said to myself, “Who is this young who is so readily accepted and apparently so loved?”  As I sat there, she was in my line of vision – and then I knew.  Yes, it was; it was Kathy Bradley Offret who had come back from Anchorage, Alaska to make her home in Salt Lake.  I hadn’t seen her for some time.

          It seemed that the Church brought us together immediately, and for me what a joyous relationship it was and one I shall always cherish.  She taught me so much.  Far younger than I, at times it appeared that she needed to counsel me rather than I her.  She was a young woman of presence and insight, and was a tireless energizer.

          I should like to discuss very informally today the roles in which I knew her best – first, her role in strengthening the family, and secondly, her role in rendering service.  Humbly, I solicit an interest in your faith and prayers that I might be able to express the things which are in my mind and heart.

          Robert Frost, the great American poet, said, “Home is the place where, when you have to go there, they have to take you in.  I should have called it something you haven’t to deserve.”
         
          The Offret children were taught to deserve home by learning early to work and to help care for that home.  Their friends benefited from this learning experience, also.  I was at the Offret house one day when a mother stopped by to pick up her little daughter who had been playing with the Offret children.  The child ran for her coat when Kathy intervened.  “Wait a minute,” she said, flashing a big smile, “You must put the toys away that you used this morning.  Come; I will help you.”  And they disappeared in the play room.  The visiting mother turned to me in wide-eyed wonderment and said, “Well, I’ve certainly learned a valuable lesson today.”

          It was my observation that in this well-organized household, there were not too many rules, but once a rule was established, it became a way of life.

          Kathy showed the deep love she had for her family by teaching them to be independent and to make wise choices, and to pray to their Heavenly Father.
          Of course, much of this valuable training came from Kathy’s own remarkable and ingenious parents, President Ralph and Sister Mildred Bradley who have always been an inspiration to their fourteen children and, I dare say, to everyone present here today.
         
At one time Kathy was our Mother Education leader and how we enjoyed her exuberant, helpful, and down-to-earth lessons.  One lesson, I recall, dealt with teaching children in the early teen years responsibility in solving their own problems.  Kathy related that one of her sisters had had a problem and felt that she had been grossly discriminated against.  Crying bitterly she went to Mildred and protested, “Mother, it just isn’t fair; it isn’t fair!”  Her mother responded in a calm but firm voice, “Of course, it isn’t fair, but are you just going to lie down and cry, or get up, dust yourself off, and do something about it?”

Kathy was a great support to Ron.  When he called me on the telephone the other evening and I commented how courageous he was, his response was something like this: “Kathy has always been the courageous one and has tried to teach all of us to be so.”
         
I like to remind myself often of the great humanitarian, Albert Schweitzer, and his contribution to the world.  Dr. Sweitzer was a medical doctor, scientist, philosopher, theologian, professor, and skilled organist.  But with his many achievements and abilities, he chose to devote most of his days ministering to the needs of the common people in what was then called French Equatorial Africa.  One of his statements rings in my ears!  He said with great conviction, “The only ones among you who will be truly happy are those who have sought and found how to serve.”  I have always been impressed with the phrase, “those who have sought.”

It was Kathy’s nature to often seek out those to serve.  Two or three extra children added to her household did not seem to matter.

One time her neighbors and good friends needed desperately to have a few days respite from their rigorous schedules and pressures but abandoned the idea because they could find no one to care for their children.  Kathy dictated what had to be done, almost literally kidnapped the three children, and sent her friends on their happy way.

The genuine service Kathy rendered in our ward in a few short years was almost unbelievable.  In addition to being Mother Education leader n Relief Society, she was for a time Primary president, and later served in the capacity of what was termed Teacher Trainer or Education Leader in Relief Society.  As Relief Society president, I depended heavily on her.  I always said that she made me look good.  She brought to our board meetings innovative and exciting methods to update our teaching.  She headed special committees and lent her talents to ward banquets; she made unappealing assignments seem easy; her keen sense of humor often saved difficult situations.

Although she felt confident in her various church positions, she often laughed at herself and minimized her abilities.  Soon after she was sustained as Primary president, she was to give a talk in sacrament meeting.  The bishop introduced her in a very complimentary way, and as she began her talk, she turned to the bishop and quipped, “Well, I don’t know whether this calling is a matter of inspiration or desperation.”

The Savior said, “Come unto me all ye that labor and are heavy laden and I will give you rest; for my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”

Kathy loved the Lord and took her problems to a power higher than herself.  She often said, “Let’s pray about it.”

At Christmas time she wrote how much she was enjoying teaching early morning seminary and what a challenge it was to teach the Book of Mormon.

One of my favorite bits of poetry comes from the pen of Ella Wheeler Wilcox.  In her sensitive way she says:
          For the test of the heart is trouble
          And it always comes with the years,
          And the smile that is worth the praise of the earth
          Is the smile that shines through the tears.

Each of you who loved Kathy so well will learn to smile again.  She blessed and lifted all our lives.  I extend my love and prayers to Ron (and Ron, we won’t forget what an able member of our bishopric you were.) and Rebecca, and Craig, and Elizabeth, and Amy, and Nicole; to President and Sister Bradley and their choice children and grandchildren, to the Offret families, and to President Bradley’s mother, Sister Nida Donaldson.  May the sweet spirit of our Heavenly Father abide with you, and may all of us so live that we will be worthy to one day be re-united with Kathy Bradley Offret.