Ruby Lorraine Brown Bradford

Ruby Lorraine Brown Bradford, age 82, of Memphis, Tennessee passed away October 18, 2021, in Las Vegas, Nevada after a brief illness.  Born in Valparaiso, Indiana to Donovan and Ruby Brown, she was the first of two children.  She attended Portage High School where she played the piccolo in the marching band. Soon after graduation, she learned the fun of a big city and frequently drove to Chicago with her younger sister to enjoy all the Windy City had to offer.   After marrying and giving birth to three children, she followed her husband’s career to San Diego, California, and later settled in Memphis, which became her home for over 40 years.  

Lorraine was always generous with her time, be it attending her children’s sporting events, volunteering at Methodist Hospital, or visiting on behalf of her church.  Raised in the Methodist faith, she found a new place of worship in Christ Church in the 1970s when she became a single parent and the church’s Positive Christian Singles class provided her fellowship and lifelong friends.

She was a lover of the arts and would frequent the Dixon, the Botanical Gardens, and the Memphis Wind Symphony concerts.  Lorraine always found a way to have thrifty fun, be it a trip to The Peabody to see the ducks, attending a lunch and learn at the local hospital, or taking anyone who would go with her to the Grotto at Memorial Park.  If you were a visitor to Memphis, your trip would always include a Graceland driveby and a view of the Lorraine Motel, even way before it was part of the Civil Rights Museum.  She could make anything a fun adventure! 

She is survived by her daughters Kim Wriggins (Jay) of Las Vegas, Nevada and Sue Trobaugh (Alex) of Los Angeles, and son Bob Bradford of Texas and “daughter-in-love” Tina Bradford of Burbank, CA.  She was very proud of her 5 grandchildren: Kyle Bradford, Hayley Bradford, and Christopher Bradford of Burbank, CA, Nicholas Trobaugh of Los Angeles, CA, Bradley Trobaugh who is currently serving in the US Navy overseas, as well as her only sibling, her sister Ginger Krudup (Bob) of Tucson, AZ.  Additionally, she leaves behind some beloved cousins, lifelong friends, and neighbors who helped to live a happy, independent life in Memphis for so many years.

Visitation will be held at Christ Church Poplar Avenue on Monday, October 25th from 10 -11 am with a memorial service immediately following in Wilson Chapel at 11 am.  Interment will be at McCool Cemetery, Portage Indiana, on October 30th.