Nicolina Guido Bradley

Nicolina Guido Bradley -  the wife, mother, grandmother, sister and friend we loved so deeply - died on Friday, October 21, at her home in Cypress, California. She was 100.

Born December 28, 1921, in Venetico, Sicily, Nicolina (known as Nicki) grew up in a family with little formal education. Both her father, Paolo Guido, and her mother, Anna (née Cardone), were tenant farmers in Sicily. Her father emigrated to Los Angeles in 1920 for a better life, and found work with the Southern California Gas Company digging ditches. Two years later, Nicki and her mother joined him. Nicki's only sibling, Dominica, (known as Miga or Dee), was born in 1927. Shortly thereafter, the family settled in Gardena, California, where they farmed a small fig orchard and had a fruit and vegetable stand which eventually became a Mom and Pop grocery store. Both her parents attended night school to learn English and subsequently became U.S. citizens.

Young Nicolina understood that education was the road to success in America and aspired early to be a teacher or librarian. She was a voracious reader, often attempting to do her chores while reading a book. Like many children of immigrants, she became the translator and interpreter between her parents and school. After graduating from Gardena High School in 1939, Nicki decided she wanted to be a nun and joined a teaching order. She reconsidered her vocation after the second year and instead transferred to UCLA, where she met Sister Jean Marie Renfro of the Sisters of Social Service who became her lifelong friend. Nicki received a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1944 and began teaching first grade at Wiseburn School in Hawthorne, CA. But World War II intervened and in 1945, she enlisted in the WAVES (the women's branch of the United States Naval Reserve) and served one year at the U.S. Naval Hospital in Quantico, Virginia. In 1946, she was discharged with the rank of pharmacist's mate third class and returned to teaching.

While at UCLA, she met George Richard Bradley, known as Brad, at the Catholic Newman Club. Brad was an United States Army veteran who had graduated from UCLA and the UC Berkeley School of Optometry. They married in 1947 and the following year, her sister Dominica married Brad's brother, Robert Sheridan, known as Sherry. When Sherry died unexpectedly from a heart attack in 1959, Nicki and Brad helped Dominica raise their four boys.

From 1947-1957, Nicki taught elementary school in southern and northern California and was known as a conscientious teacher who went the extra mile. During this time, she used the GI Bill to enroll in University of Southern California and earned a Master's degree in Library Science in 1958. Later that year, she began her second career as a school librarian for the Long Beach Unified School District, serving 23 years until her retirement in 1981.

Nicki and Brad adopted three children in the space of one year: Michael in August 1962, Melissa in December 1962, and Maureen in February 1963; they settled in San Pedro, CA. In 1970, Nicki and Brad moved to Cypress where they raised their three children, built a loving and happy home, and remained for the rest of their lives. Nicki's beloved Brad passed away in 1991.

After her husband's death, she became an avid gardener with a backyard full of vegetables, flowers, and fruit trees. She also began to work again as a substitute librarian for the Long Beach Public Library until she retired for a second time in 2002. She then traveled the world, taking many trips and tours to lands she had read about in books. She was a member of the popular Long Beach City College Senior Studies program taught by Mary Thoits. Nicki was a committed Reach Out and Read volunteer at The Children's Clinic at Long Beach Memorial Hospital for many years. Her love of reading and books was her passion, and her insatiable appetite for reading continued until shortly before her death.

Nicki's other passion was her deep religious faith. She was a devout Catholic who attended Mass daily, a tradition passed down to her from her parents. Her love for her family, country, community and friends flowed from her deep faith, love and trust in God. Each of Nicki and Brad's children share their parents' public spirit, egalitarianism and compassion: Michael was a builder, Melissa is a librarian, and Maureen is a public health nurse.

Nicki is survived by her daughters, Melissa Vigilante and Maureen Bradley; her son-in-law, Frank Vigilante, and her granddaughter, Francesca Vigilante. Her husband, George Richard Bradley, predeceased her in 1991, as did her son, Michael Sheridan Bradley, who died in 2021. Her sister, Dominica Mary Bradley, passed away in 2020. Nicki's spirit and memory will continue in each and every one of those touched by her greatness.

The family would like to thank everyone who gave her care and support over this last year. They request that you consider a contribution to the Sisters of Social Service in support of their work towards peace and justice for the common good.

Tribute video

https://www.youtube.com/@maureenbradley9792

https://donatenow.networkforgood.org/sssla

Luyben Dilday Mortuary (562) 425-6401