Bedena F Mcbrayer

Obituary Bedena McBrayer, 88, of Tyler, Texas, formerly of Irving, Texas, passed away on Monday, June 8, 2020. She was born on October 21, 1931 in Charleston, Texas, the daughter of Arnold and Verna Stubblefield. Bedena grew up on a small farm in Pacio, Texas. She had many stories about chasing chickens and making lye soap. She loved recalling her childhood and sharing them with her grandkids. On December 20, 1950 Bedena married the love of her life, Edgar McBrayer, they eloped; she wore a navy-blue wedding dress that she kept in her beloved cedar chest. The cedar chest was the first gift Edgar bought for her. She kept it next to her bed her entire life. Bedena lived in Irving most of her adult life but moved to Tyler in 2015 to spend more time with her great grandchildren and her niece Georganne. Bedena loved to cook and bake. Most of the stories her family remembers involved her elaborate home cooked meals. No matter if you pre-planned your visit or just stopped by, she was always prepared to welcome you with one of her wonderful sweet treats. One summer Ashley and Adrienne stayed a week at Bedena and Edgar's house. Ashley and Adrienne waited for everyone to go to bed and snuck some (more than they could get away with) of Bedena's homemade mints. Bedena always found ways to express herself creatively. She wrote poetry, painted, made wedding cakes, birthday cakes, pies and all sorts of different kinds of candies.Tristan loved the chocolate seashells she made. Everyone looked forward to her Christmas parties where it all came together. Bedena made gemstone trees as well and even sold them with Edgar at Gem and Mineral shows. Bedena also loved to garden, Zinas and the Peace Roses were her favorites. Bedena loved all things pink and purple. Bedena and Edgar loved traveling; Vail and Glenwood Springs CO, and Branson MO were their favorite places to visit. She loved watching the Cowboys play football with Edgar, that is until Jerry Jones purchased them. Bedena was very active in her church. She was either teaching the women's Sunday school or she was involved in the children's ministry. Her favorite time of the year was Vacation Bible School time. She loved finding ways to incorporate food into the lessons. One time Bedena made a whale out of a watermelon; this was before Pinterest. Bedena was always doing something crafty; one time when Ashley was little she made a wedding dress to play dress up. She and Edgar would pull Ashley around the neighborhood in the little red wagon and everyone would always stop to give their blessings to the little bride. Edgar built a treehouse for Tristan and Ashley and they remember playing in it during the morning time. Tristan loved picking the "helicopters" off the maple tree and watching them fall. One day he made the mistake of dropping them in Bedena's morning coffee...she wasn't happy. Toward the end of her life her greatest joy was spending time with her three great grandchildren Connor, Ainsley and Owen. Bedena would light up every time she saw them, and no one else would get a chance to hold them! Bedena was very sweet but could also be very ornery; we are certain she was a little proud of this. The thing that brought her the most joy was talking. Everyone always thought Edgar was so quiet, but anyone who knew them was sure to know he had a lot to say, he just could never get an opportunity to talk. Bedena will be deeply missed by her family and friends. She is preceded in death by her husband, Edgar W. McBrayer (Pete); parents, Arnold T. Stubblefield and Verna Stubblefield; brother Jimmy L. Stubblefield. Bedena is survived by her son, Dennis L. McBrayer and wife, Teresa G. McBrayer; granddaughter, Ashley M. Miller and husband, Bryan J.; grandson, Tristan S. McBrayer and wife, Mary H.; three great-grandchildren; among numerous other family and friends. Visitation will be held on Thursday, June 11, 2020 from 10 - 11 am at Chism-Smith Funeral Home in Irving, Texas. Graveside Services will be at 11:30 on June 11th at Oak Grove Memorial Gardens, Irving. Service Information