Lorraine Bradley Lewis

Lorraine Bradley Lewis, 81, died Sunday, December 7, 2025 at The Greens at Weaverville, after a period of declining health.

Lorraine was born in Erwin, TN and was a graduate of Enka High School. She earned an Associated Degree in Stenographic Secretarial, MDTA, from the Asheville-Buncombe Technical Institute in 1964. She enjoyed her time working at the West Asheville Public Library and later retired from working at the North Carolina State Revenue Service in 1998. She always enjoyed arts and crafts, earning a degree in Professional Jewelry Design and Repair in 2007.

Lorraine was involved in martial arts most of her life and earned multiple National Champion awards in Kata in the 1970’s, retiring from competition in 1975. She studied martial arts under Charles E. K. Matthews (Goju-Shorei), Victor Moore (Shuri-Ryu), Woodrow Fairbanks (Shuri-Ryu), R. Andino (Goju-Ryu), Robert A. Trias (Shorei/Shuri), Dr. Roberta Trias-Kelley (Shuri), and Terry Sanders (Shorei). She earned a Rokudan (6th degree) Black Belt in Goju-Shorei Okinawan Karate from Don Roberts (Okinawan Karate Do Union), a 7th grade Black Belt in Shorei-ryu Karate from Terry B. Sanders (Kondo No Shokai), and a 9th degree Black Belt in Shuri-Ryu from Dr. Roberta Trias-Kelley (United States Karate Association).

She loved to teach and did so at Waynesville, NC, Hickory, NC, Ft. Bragg, NC, Berlin, Germany, Brunswick, GA, Ruskin, FL, and Asheville, NC for decades. She is survived by her Black Belts, including Eric Eubanks, Karl Wagner, Lynn Goldsmith, Maria Fysal, Michael Jackson, Sharri Hamby, Stan Cole, and Terry Mitchell.

She was a cat lover all of her life and held a special place in her heart for cats Pepper, Ozzy, Elvis and Presley.

She was preceded in death by her grandparents, Worley Oscar Bradley, Millie Alice Robinette, James Henry Sparks and Bonnie Bell Sands; her parents, Richard Elmo Bradley and Gladys Pauline Sparks; her brother, Kenneth Richard Bradly; her husband of 31 years, Lawrence Anthony Lewis; and her son, Richard LaVon Brank and her daughter-in-law, Kimberly Diane Worley Brank.

Surviving is her daughter, Phaedra Tiffiney Lewis and her husband, Eyal Sagi of Chicago; her son, Bradley Christopher Lewis of Cullowhee; and her grandchildren, Alisha Brank and Daemon Daily.

The family will receive friends from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. on Tuesday, December 9 at Groce Funeral Home on Patton Avenue.

Funeral services will be held at 10:00 a.m. on Thursday, December 11 at the Western Carolina State Veteran’s Cemetery Chapel in Black Mountain.

In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to the American Cancer Society, www.cancer.org.