AVA – Sharon Elaine Graul (Bradley), 72, of Ava, Illinois, passed away on October 6, 2026. She was born April 20, 1954, in Murphysboro, Illinois, to Kenneth and Virginia Bradley and spent most of her life in Ava, a place she called home.

Sharon was funny, outgoing, and very often the life of the party. She loved to laugh, loved being surrounded by people, and above all else, she loved her family. Family gatherings were important to her, especially the holidays and all of the traditions that came along with them. She understood that some of life’s greatest memories were made simply by getting everyone together.

Her life had many chapters, and one of the most unique was the way her story with Gale came full circle. Gale was her first husband, and years later, after life had taken them both down different roads, they found their way back to one another and married again. Their story became a reminder that life does not always follow a straight path, and sometimes it has a way of bringing people back to where their story first began.

Sharon was the person her family turned to first. Whether you were one of her daughters or simply someone she had chosen and loved as her own, you knew you could go to her for advice, guidance, or an honest answer. She was a woman of strong morals and deeply rooted Christian values, and she led by example. To her children and so many others, she was not only a mother, but a mentor—someone to admire, learn from, and look up to.

As a mother, Sharon was fiercely protective and, by her daughters’ own admission, plenty strict. Of course, that did not stop them from finding creative ways around the rules during their teenage years. As they grew older and finally began telling Mom some of the stories she had never known at the time, Sharon would laugh and say she never knew what she was going to wake up to. Those stories became part of the laughter they shared later in life and a reminder that beneath all of that protectiveness was a mother who loved her children fiercely and wanted nothing more than to keep them safe and guide them well.

Being Mawmaw was one of Sharon’s greatest joys. She spoiled her grandchildren every chance she got, worried about them endlessly, and loved them fiercely. She was especially grateful for the everyday moments she shared with Paisley and Landry, whom she was blessed to see nearly every day. What may have seemed like ordinary days became some of the most meaningful moments of her life.

Her faith was an essential part of who she was. Sharon dearly loved Victory Christian Fellowship, where she faithfully served as a member of the praise team for more than 20 years. Music, worship, and her church family held a very special place in her heart. Her Christian faith shaped the way she lived, the values she passed on to her family, and the guidance she gave to those who came to her for advice.

Sharon also had a natural mind for numbers. That gift led her into accounting and bookkeeping, but she was an entrepreneur at heart as well. Throughout her life, she owned and operated several businesses, including video stores and tanning salons. She later owned Johnny B’s Pro Lube, which at one time grew to six locations. In the last several years of her life, she operated Kinkaid Kandy alongside her daughter Kassi, giving the two of them the opportunity to build something together while creating memories along the way.

Sharon knew how to enjoy life. She loved trips to the casino, family get-togethers, and a good old-fashioned weenie roast—especially if she could get her hot dog burnt just the way she liked it. It was often those simple moments, surrounded by the people she loved, that brought her the greatest happiness.

Sharon is survived by her husband, Gale Graul; her sister, Linda Kay King; her daughters, Kassandra Coulson (Andrew Crouch) and Kelsie Clover (Mark); and Jeremy Graul (Brittany), Kris Graul, Dakota Lueth (Doug), Beth Kempfer, Nathan Kempfer, and Jonathon Heern, whom she loved and embraced as her own.

She was proudly known as Mawmaw to Mayson Clover, Kraighynn Clover, Blake Clover, Paisley Vanwormer, Landry Vanwormer, and Aidan Crouch, as well as Fallon, Ember and Azlyn Graul, and Caiden and Darren Baranowski, whom she also loved as her own.

She is also survived by her aunt, Fleeta (Joe) Jackson of Percy, Illinois, along with many nieces, nephews, extended family members, and friends.

Sharon was preceded in death by her parents, Kenneth and Virginia Bradley; her sister, Lila Monie; her infant sister, Kami Renne; her aunt, Marilyn Luehr; and her infant daughter, Kamie Faye.

Sharon leaves behind far more than names on a family tree. She leaves behind traditions that will continue, stories that will be told and retold, advice her family will still hear in their minds when they need it most, and a faith that she spent a lifetime demonstrating to those around her. She leaves behind children she guided, grandchildren she spoiled, a family she fiercely protected, businesses she built, songs she sang, and countless memories made around tables, holidays, church services, family gatherings, and even the occasional burnt hot dog.

For those who loved her, there will always be moments when the instinct is still to pick up the phone and ask Sharon what she thinks. That may be one of the greatest testaments to the life she lived: she was someone people trusted, someone they depended on, and someone whose presence made them feel that no matter what was happening, they had someone in their corner.

Her voice, her laughter, her guidance, her faith, and the love she poured into her family will remain woven into their lives for generations to come.

Funeral services will be held on Friday, October 09, 2026, 5:00 pm, at Victory Christian Fellowship, Murphysboro, IL, with Pastor Jeff Hines officiating. Visitation will be Friday evening, October 09, 2026, where friends may call from 4:00 pm until hour of service at the church. Memorials may be given to Jackson County Relay for Life and can be mailed to Wilson’s Funeral Home, P.O. Box 277, Ava, IL 62907.