Kenneth Poe Funeral Services

July 14, 2024

CHARLOTTE – William Lester Bradshaw, Jr. (Lester) passed away on Sunday, July 14, 2024, with his wife and soulmate, Cheryl by his side.  Lester’s life was defined by the relationships that he built.  He never met a stranger and loved making personal connections.  He lived life to the maximum, loved big, and touched many lives along the way.

Lester was born in Gastonia NC, and attended Hunter Huss High School where he was a member of the football and wrestling teams.  Following graduation from high school, Lester headed up the mountain to Appalachian State University.  He graduated from Appalachian with a degree in criminal justice.  He was always a passionate App State football fan and went on to become a season ticket holder.  One of his favorite memories was traveling to College Station, Texas to watch the Mountaineers defeat Texas A&M in 2022.

Lester was a member of Lambda Chi Alpha fraternity at Appalachian and met many lifelong friends there.  More recently, Lester worked with other alumni to recolonize the chapter and he played a pivotal role in reaching that goal in 2022.  He served as the Alumni Advisor and drove up the mountain many Monday nights for chapter meetings and to remind the young men to “always take care of each other”.  He was so proud of “his guys” and loved seeing them at football games in the fall.

Lester was a member of ROTC in college, and upon graduation was commissioned as an Officer in the United States Army.  He served in the Army Reserve and was activated to serve in Operation Desert Storm in 1991, stationed at Fort Jackson, South Carolina.

Lester participated in YMCA Indian Guides and Princesses from 2000 to 2005 and was the Charlotte Mecklenburg Federation Chief from 2004 to 2005.  While Snoring Bear enjoyed his role as the big chief, he cherished even more the Longhouse weekends with Dancing Flower and Screaming Hawk and their friends.

Lester was president of Charlotte Swim and Raquet Club from 2005 to 2007. He was a constant presence at the pool during his three terms as president, helping to lead a major building project and build renewed enthusiasm for the swim team.  On summer nights in June, he could often be found sitting in the lifeguard chair announcing at a swim meet.

Lester worked for Mecklenburg County Youth and Family Services as a social worker for 20 plus years where he was an advocate for children and worked with numerous at-risk youth over his career.  He retired in 2006 to start his favorite role of being a stay home dad to Jake and Rachel.  Lester loved picking Jake and Rachel up from school or sports practice in his 1978 Jeep CJ 5.  He coached Jake and Rachel on so many sports teams that it is hard to count them all, but his favorite was definitely church league basketball.

Lester loved Jake and Rachel fiercely and fully immersed himself in their lives.  His face lit up when talking about them.  One of the happiest days of his life was when he walked Rachel down the aisle and danced with her to “My Girl” on her wedding day.

Lester was a member of Providence Baptist Church where he previously served as a Sunday School teacher, Deacon, student ministry, and missions committee member.  He served as chaperone for numerous mission trips over the years, entertaining and leading PBC students for years with his humor and unique view of life.  Trips to Metro Baptist Church in New York City were his favorite.

Lester loved Brittany Spaniels and owned six of them over his lifetime.  He was so excited when Rachel and Jake also become Brittany owners.  He loved to watch the dogs run around the backyard or jump in the lake for a swim.

One of Lester’s favorite pastimes was fishing.  He went to the NC Outer Banks for a guys’ fishing week for 30 years, organizing the annual trip later in his life.  He loved a day at the Cape Hatteras point with his buddies even when the fish were not biting.  As he liked to say, “It’s called fishing not catching for a reason.”

Lester’s happy place was the house at Lake Tillery.  He loved spending time there and said that there was never a bad day at the lake.  Lester cherished getting up to watch the sunrise from the deck, early morning boat rides, floating in the cove on a hot day, and ending the day with a sunset cruise.  He enjoyed entertaining guests with big breakfasts, a smoked pork butt, or a huge low country boil.

Lester loved to cook and entertain, and over the years provided so many people with good stories, good times, and good food whether at a Bradshaw New Year’s Eve party, fishing trip, lake weekend, or a tailgate.

Lester was a proud member of “the Cotswold village” and deeply cherished those relationships. He looked forward to the annual village Christmas party and loved keeping up with the village kids as they went off to college and became young adults.

Lester is survived by his wife of 37 years Cheryl Bradshaw; his son, Jake Bradshaw; his daughter, Rachel Bradshaw Roberts and her husband, Jack and his mother, Pat Bradshaw.  He is also survived by Buxton his loyal four-legged companion.  Lester was preceded in death by his father, William Bradshaw and brother, Bobby Bradshaw.

The family would like to thank Dr. Aleksander Chojecki and the incredible staff of Levine Cancer Institute, along with the staff of floors 4B and 4T at Atrium Health CMC who became part of our family and provided such special care for Lester over the past year. 

A memorial service will be held at 11:00 AM on Monday, July 22, 2024, at Providence Baptist Church. The family will receive friends following the service in the church fellowship hall. 

Memorials may be offered in memory of Lester to Providence Baptist Church Restore and Renew fund, 4921 Randolph Rd. Charlotte, NC 28211 or Lambda Chi Alpha Educational Foundation, Sigma-Upsilon Zeta GA Financial Aid, 10 West Carmel Drive, Suite 220, Carmel, IN 46032.

Arrangements are in the care of Kenneth W. Poe Funeral & Cremation Service, 1321 Berkeley Ave., Charlotte, NC 28204; (704) 641-7606. Online condolences may be shared at www.kennethpoeservices.com.