Meredith Juanita Bradley Rathbone

Mrs. Meredith Juanita Bradley Rathbone, 81, of Morganton, NC went home to be with her Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, on Friday, May 20, 2016. Born in Marion, NC on August 10, 1934, she was the daughter of the late Clifford Bradley and Gertrude Murphy. In addition to her parents, she was preceded in death by her brother, Clarence Bradley.
Juanita graduated from Crossnore Children’s Home and married the love of her life and husband of 58 years, Wilkie Rathbone, of Bakersville, NC. They lived in Marion until moving to the Brentwood Development of Morganton in 1966. They moved to Springs of Catawba Assisted Living in January of 2015.
Her last employer was Burke County Public Schools. She worked as a teacher’s assistant at Glen Alpine Elementary and loved tutoring children. Many children learned to read with her assistance. Her greatest joys were spending time with family, tutoring children, singing gospel music, studying her Sunday school lesson, and attending Burkemont Baptist Church.
Wilkie and Juanita kept foster children for several years. She was an adopted grandmother for the Song Pao Yang family and helped his children learn to speak English. Wilkie and Juanita enjoyed helping people with their clothing ministry and provided many clothes to families in need.
Juanita is survived by her husband, Wilkie Rathbone; daughters, Camille Carswell and LaWanda Willis; son-in-law, Todd Carswell; grandchildren, Hillary Carswell Yarbrough and her husband, Joseph, Andrew Carswell, Dalton Willis, and Alyssa Willis; two brothers-in-law; and five sisters-in-law.
The family will receive friends from 2 – 3 p.m., Sunday, May 22, 2016 at Burkemont Baptist Church. The funeral will be held in the church at 3 p.m. with Dr. David Mills officiating. Burial will follow in the church cemetery.
Memorial contributions may be made to Burkemont Baptist Church, 4668 Burkemont Road, Morganton, NC 28655 or to Burke United Christian Ministries, 305-B West Union Street, Morganton, NC 28655.
Sossoman Funeral Home and Crematory Center is assisting the family with the arrangements.
The family would like to thank Lou Lovelace’s Sunday school class and the pastoral staff of Burkemont Baptist Church for their loving ministry to Juanita and Wilkie. They family would also like to thank the staff of Frye Rehab, Autumn Care of Drexel Rehab, Springs of Catawba Assisted Living, Carillon of Newton Memory Care, and Catawba Regional Hospice for their loving care of Juanita.