Obituary: Virginia Ayers Bradford

Virginia Ayers Bradford, 93, Winter Garden, Florida, faithful wife, mother and grandmother, passed on to her Lord Monday, March 6, 2017.

Born Oct. 26, 1923, in China to American Baptist missionaries, she was educated in Cheung Chau, China; Orlinda, Tennessee; and New Orleans, Louisiana. She graduated from Meredith College and Duke University School of Laboratory Technicians.

She married Edward “Ned” Bradford Aug. 17, 1946, in Toccoa, Georgia, and they moved to Winter Garden in 1952.

She was active in the First Baptist Church of Winter Garden and Lakeview High PTA, taught science at Lakeview High School during the 1968 teachers’ strike and owned and operated Deer Run Nursery until 1990, where she developed and patented a new variety of indoor foliage plant.

She is preceded in death by husband Dr. Edward Bradford and survived by four children, 10 grandchildren and 11 great-grandchildren: Wade (Jan); Cam (Wendy), Merideth (Orrie); and five great-grandchildren. Ed (Susan); Matthew; Will (Emily); Jesse (Emily); Lauren and 5 great-grandchildren. Mary Lea; Tyler (Sara); Davis and 1 great-grandchild. Emmett (Lori); Jessica, Katy.

Services will be held at Baldwin-Fairchild Funeral Home in Winter Garden: Visitation is at 6 p.m. Friday, March 10; funeral services are at 2 p.m. Saturday, March 11.

In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to: Edward Bradford, M.D./Sanford E. Ayers, M.D. Scholarship Fund, Foundation Academy, 15304 Tilden Road, Winter Garden, FL 34787; (407) 877-2744. For more information, visit dignitymemorial.com/baldwin-fairchild-winter-grdn.