Antoinette Rabil Bradley, talented artist, seamstress

Antoinette Rabil Bradley, 89, of Wilmington, passed on to the next life Sunday, July 10, 2022. She died of natural causes peacefully in her sleep.   

Antoinette was born in Dinard, a small coastal town in Brittany, France; the third girl in a growing family. She attended La Sorbonne in Paris and studied math, physics and chemistry. Her fluency in both French and English enabled her to find work as a translator for the UN, as well as work for the U.S. Army.

Later in life, she obtained a bachelor’s degree in accounting from Rutgers University, passed the CPA exam, and utilized her knowledge of both business and accounting to serve as a member of SCORE; mentoring aspiring small business owners. 

But Antoinette’s real talents were as an artist and seamstress.  As a young mother on a budget, she sewed her own clothes and was skilled enough to copy designs she saw in magazines. As an adult, Antoinette displayed her strong talent as a watercolor artist through her paintings which won her awards from Delaware Watercolor Society as well as Rehoboth Art League. 

Antoinette met her first husband, Mitchell J. Rabil, while they were both working at a U.S. Army base just outside Paris. They married in 1956 and ultimately settled in Riverton, N.J., where they raised their four children. In 1989, she married David W. Bradley, whom she had met playing bridge. They enjoyed a long retirement life together in a home they built at in Kings Creek Country Club in Rehoboth Beach.

Antoinette was predeceased by her husband, David Bradley; her parents; and three of her eight siblings. She is survived by her four children Elizabeth Rabil-Perez, Nathalie Gooding, Marcus Rabil and A. Gregory Rabil, her six grandchildren; four of her siblings; and her many nieces and nephews.

Antoinette will be greatly missed by her family, her friends, and the many people who knew and loved her for her unique personality, strong intellect, artistic talent, and love of learning. 

A memorial service to honor her memory will be held at 11 a.m., Saturday, Aug. 27, at Chandler Funeral Home, 2506 Concord Pike, Wilmington, with visitation from 10:30 to 11 a.m.

For online condolences, visit chandlerfuneralhome.com.