Anne Bradshaw

Anne Rozier Bradshaw, 82, passed away suddenly Wednesday, April 7, 2010.

She was born Oct. 22, 1927, in Farmington, Mo., daughter of Carlisle E. and Alice S. Rozier. Anne was raised in Farmington. She graduated from Visitation Academy High School in St. Louis in 1945 and attended Webster College in St. Louis, where she earned a B.A. in sociology. In 1952 she graduated from law school at The Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C., where she received her LL.B. and J.D. She was one of the first three women to be admitted to its School of Law in 1949.

On Dec. 29, 1951, Anne married John Patrick Bradshaw of New Brunswick, N.J. He preceded her in death March 23, 2006. John and Anne were married 54 years and had two children, Patrick Carlisle and Mary Alice, who survive. Patrick and his wife, Mary Beth (Nenninger), of Hendersonville, Tenn., have three children: Shannon Elizabeth Jett (Ryan) of Newnan, Ga., Kevin Patrick Bradshaw of Johnson City, Tenn., and Jack Edward Bradshaw, currently residing in Knoxville, Tenn. Anne's daughter Mary Alice and her husband, Jim Essner, live in Cape Girardeau and also have three children: a daughter, Rachael Mary of St. Louis, and two sons, Taylor James Essner and John "Jack" Anthony Essner.

Mrs. Bradshaw was preceded in death by her parents and two infant sons, Girard Majella and Vincent Farrar.

Anne was of the Roman Catholic faith and a member of Old St. Vincent's Church in downtown Cape Girardeau. She also was a parishioner at St. Anthony of Padua Church in Grand Rivers, Ky., near Kentucky Lake.

During the 1960s and 1970s, Mrs. Bradshaw taught at Notre Dame High School and was a second-grade teacher at St. Vincent de Paul Grade School in Cape Girardeau.

She was appointed to the Southeast Missouri State University Board of Regents in 1981 by Gov. Kit Bond. She served for two extended terms. She was board president for three years and also sat on numerous university committees, including the committee that spearheaded the building of the Show Me Center. Anne served as a member of the Show Me Center Board of Managers from 1986 to 2003. She was also a member of the Southeast Missouri State University Foundation and the Copper Dome Society, where she was awarded the "Friend of the University" in 1990. Anne was also a member of the SEMO Booster Club and an avid fan.

She was an active volunteer at Saint Francis Medical Center Auxiliary, where she was a founding member and first president. She was also an original member of The Friends of Saint Francis and served on the Saint Francis Medical Center Foundation.

Active in the Republican politics, Mrs. Bradshaw was involved in numerous national, state and local campaigns. She was a member of the Cape County Republican Committee, acting as committeewoman and vice chairwoman, and was one of the founding members of the Cape Girardeau County Republican Women's Club, serving as its president for many years.

Anne served on numerous other boards and committees for clubs and organizations in the Cape Girardeau area throughout her life. Some of Anne's favorite charitable organizations include the Notre Dame High School Foundation, the Saint Francis Medical Center Foundation, Old St. Vincent's Church/St. Mary's Cathedral and Southeast Missouri State University's Foundation.

Funeral arrangements are being handled by Ford and Sons Funeral Home.

Visitation will be from 4 to 8 p.m. today at Ford and Sons Mount Auburn Funeral Home, with parish prayers at 7 p.m.

Funeral Mass will be at 9 a.m. Monday at Old St. Vincent's Church. Entombment will follow at Cape County Memorial Park. Pallbearers will be grandsons Kevin Bradshaw, Jack Bradshaw and Taylor Essner, grandson-in-law Ryan Jett and dear friends Bill W. Stacy and David B. Ross.

Online condolences may be made at www.fordandsonsfuneralhome.com.