Bradley James Smith's Obituary
Bradley James Smith “BJ” passed away peacefully on May 20, 2015 at the age of 87. He was born on April 21,1928 in Ryan, OK to parents John W. Smith and Ola Mae Johnson Smith.He graduated from Waurika High School in 1949 and was an All State Football Player. After high school he was awarded a full football scholarship from Oklahoma A&M, now Oklahoma State University. He was a defensive linebacker for the OSU Cowboys and graduated with a Bachelors in Education degree. While at OSU he joined ROTC and post graduation entered the U.S. Army serving for 2 more years. After an honorable discharge as First Lieutenant, he furthered his education at the University of Tulsa completing some graduate hours.Bradley worked for Blue Cross and Blue Shield starting in 1956 before retiring in 1986. In 1981 he married Gale Frances Longacre McCool of Tulsa, OK where he strived to be an active father for her 2 sons and his 2 daughters before the birth of their daughter Lauren. Bradley was an involved father and enjoyed doing everything he could from coaching teams for his children to attending dance and music recitals. After retiring from Blue Cross and Blue Shield he taught computer education classes at community college and also received his real estate license. He worked for various real estate companies over his 15 year career in real estate. Following his retirement from real estate he decided to spend his time volunteering at St. Francis Hospital and regurlarly attending his church home of many years, Kirk of the Hills Presbyterian.Bradley was preceeded in death by his parents; brother James Mathews and sister Esta Timberlake of Waurika, OK; daughter Debbie Altares of Morris, OK.He leaves his loving memories to be cherished by his wife of 33 years Gale; daughters Sharon Stone and her husband Craig, Lauren Miller and her husband Jay; sons Matthew and Robert McCool; grandchilden Floyd and Tanner Altares; and Conner, Courtney, and Cameron Stone.Services will be held Tuesday May 26th at 11:00 a.m. in the chapel of Kirk of the Hills Presbyterian Church, Tulsa, OK at 4102 E 61st Street, followed by gravesides services in Broken Arrow, OK at Floral Haven 6100 S 129th East Avenue. In lieu of flowers, friends may contribute to Kirk of the Hills Church.
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