Vernon Thomas Bradley departed this earthly life on December 6, 2009 at the age of 80. Mr. Bradley was born in 1929 in the small town of Tarboro. He later moved to Halifax where he spent most of his life. He attended Halifax Elementary and later graduated from Weldon High School. His father passed away when he was 10 years old. Mr. Bradley was a U. S. Army veteran.

He worked extremely hard all of his life. He once held three separate jobs at the same time. Through hard work and incredible perseverance, he pulled himself up by his boot straps and built a highly successful real estate business. He built thousands of homes and financed hundreds of lucrative deals. He made it possible for countless people to become home and land owners.

He loved the outdoors and was the first Eagle Scout in the town of Halifax. He loved to build statues, walls and dams. He loved to take walks in the woods. Mr. Bradley never forgot where he came from; he donated money generously to many worthy causes and helped many individuals who were down on their luck. He loved the Halifax Methodist Church, where he was a member since childhood. He was man of great faith and he showed it every day.

He was affectionately known by his family as "The Bridge Builder". There is a statue in the Halifax Methodist Cemetery with that name to honor this wonderful man. The statue was erected by Askew Funeral Services at the request of Vernon T. Bradley, Jr. to honor his father.

Mr. Bradley was preceded in death by his father, Ernest Bradley and his mother, Lucille Twisdale Bradley; and his brothers, Milton and Rudolph Bradley.

Left to cherish his memory is his wife of 60 years, Eleanor Stevenson Bradley; his two sisters, Louis B. Flythe of Atlanta, GA and Jean B. Rabil of Winston Salem; his son, Vernon T. Bradley, Jr. and his wife, Brenda; his two grandchildren, Vernon T. Bradley, III and Ashton Lee Bradley, all of Halifax.

Funeral services will be held Thursday, December 10, at 2 p.m. at the Halifax Methodist Church with Rev. Steve Formo and Rev. Leonard Rex officiating. Entombment will follow at the church cemetery.

The family will receive friends Wednesday, December 9, from 7:00 to 8:30 at Askew Funeral and Cremation Services in Roanoke Rapids.

Memorial donations may be made to the Halifax Methodist Church Cemetery Fund, PO Box 365, Halifax, NC 27839.

The flag in front of the funeral home flies at half-staff in honor of Mr. Bradley’s service to his country.