Norma Bradley Thornbrough Norma Bradley Thornbrough was born

Norma Bradley Thornbrough Norma Bradley Thornbrough was born to Clarke and Lillian Willcox on January 30, 1927, in Marion, South Carolina, the third daughter of four. After a full and well-lived life, she passed from this world and into heaven on April 28, 2025, at the age of 98. She was preceded in death by her first husband, George H. Bradley Jr. and her second husband, Dean Thornbrough. Her sisters, Rose Cogswell and Mary Phillips also preceded her in death. She is survived by her five children Nancy Hicks, Lucy Bradley-Springer (Bob), Barbara Fuller (Randy), Becky Barton (Gregg), and George "Brad" Bradley III (Heather); and her sister, Barbara Thomas (Bob). She is also survived by her two stepchildren, Cheri Ritchie (Dennis) and Mike Thornbrough. In addition, she is survived by eight grandchildren, 20 great-grandchildren, and many nieces/nephews and grand-nieces/grand-nephews. After graduating with a bachelor's degree in piano from Winthrop College in 1948, she married George Bradley Jr. and began a decade of living in many places whilst raising five children, finally settling in Albuquerque, New Mexico in 1960. After 35 years of life together, Norma lost George. But at age 63, she found love again with Dean and enjoyed ten years of adventure with him. She lived in Albuquerque until age 88 when she decided on one more adventure: to move to Houston, Texas to be with her sister Mary. Norma was an extroverted force to be reckoned with, always seeing the good in everyone she met, never meeting a stranger. In a home full of introverts, she kept everyone on their toes with her unquenchable curiosity and zest for life. She was a talented pianist and was never more joyful than when singing as a soprano soloist. In addition to her musical talent, she was a skilled Bridge player, a phenomenal hostess, played a mean game of tennis, and at the age of 70 announced she was going to "water ski one last time" and did! Her faith in God was immense and unwavering. She was an active member of Central United Methodist Church for 55 years, where you could find her in the choir loft every Sunday, except when she was traveling the world or at Conchas Lake. Because of her five children, she was often asked if she was Catholic. To which she would reply "No, I'm a passionate Protestant!" A Celebration of Life Service will be held at Central United Methodist Church (201 University Blvd. NE, Albuquerque, NM, 87106) on Saturday, June 7, 2025, at 2:00 pm. In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to Saranam, a local charity that supports families experiencing homelessness. Norma was a strong advocate of Saranam and was proud to be associated with this life-changing organization.