Tributes

Dorothy Bradley-Milstead, age 91, died January 20, 2013, peacefully at her home in The Madison Retirement Community, surrounded by loved ones. She was born Dorothy Lorene Kramer on February 28, 1921, in Kerrville, Texas, the daughter of Berhardine Schwausch Kramer and the Reverend A. W. Kramer, the first president of the Texas District of the Lutheran Church – Missouri Synod. She was her father's thirteenth child. Her widowed mother moved to San Antonio when Dorothy was six months old. She remained a life-long resident of this city she loved. Dorothy graduated second in her class from Brackenridge High School in 1938. She was one of the first hundred employees of USAA. In 1942 she married Alton Haecker and they had three children. Al and "Dottie" were dedicated members of St. Paul Lutheran Church, where she taught Sunday School to her beloved little ones at the nursery level for twenty-five years. In 1964, she began her twenty-year career as a secretary for the San Antonio Independent School District. Al Haecker died in 1968, and in 1971 she married Jack Carey Bradley. They became dedicated members of Holy Name Catholic Church, where Dottie began a pre-school Sunday School she enthusiastically taught for a second twenty-five years. Jack Bradley died in 1995, and eight years later, at the age of 82, Dorothy met and married the unexpected third love of her life, Patrick Milstead. They enjoyed nearly six years of travel and time with friends and extended families, with their spiritual center at Shepherd of the Hills Lutheran Church. Pat died in 2009. A heartfelt Christian with a daily prayer life, Dottie Haecker-Bradley-Milstead had a smile and a cheerful, kind word for everyone she met. She was a natural teacher and organizer with a deeply compassionate heart. She was preceded in death by her husbands and by all but one of her brothers and sisters. She is survived by her sister Elvira Kramer Curry, her daughter Dorothy Haecker, her son Michael Haecker and wife Janice, her son David Haecker and wife Debra, her step daughters Irene Bradley-Scott and Mary Jane Milstead, and her step sons Michael Bradley and Jim Milstead and wife Tooley. She leaves her love in the hearts of her grandchildren and great-grandchildren: Tara Carmack and husband Josh and children Bailey and Tyler, Whitney Stork, Alex Haecker and fiancé Kristen Jackson, Natalie Haecker, Mike Woods and wife Kathleen, Daniel Bradley, and Clifford Milstead and wife Tracey. She is also survived by many beloved nieces, nephews, extended family members and a host of dear friends, old and new. Funeral Services will be held at 11AM Friday, January 25, 2013, at Shepherd of the Hills Lutheran Church, 6914 Wurzbach Road, followed by a reception. Visitation will be from 6-8 PM, Thursday, January 24, 2013, at Mission Park Funeral Chapels South, 1700 Southeast Military Drive. Grave side services will be held privately with the family. Memorial donations can be made to St. Paul Lutheran Church, Holy Name Catholic Church, Shepherd of the Hills Lutheran Church or a charity of your choice.

Tributes

Dorothy Bradley-Milstead

February 28, 1921 - January 20, 2013