Obituary of Betty Ann Zielkowski

Betty Ann Bradley was born on August 7, 1959 at Midwood Hospital, in Brooklyn, New York. She was the fifth, and last, child of Vincent and Katherine Bradley. She came home to three brothers, Thom, Eddie, and Gerry, and one sister, Kathy. Growing up in Brooklyn, she was the favorite of everyone in the family! She was an “A” student at Mary Queen of Heaven grammar school and made many lifelong friends at St. Edmunds High School. A group of her St. Edmunds friends stayed in touch with the family and never gave up praying for her through her illness. After High School, she attended Stony Brook College in Long Island which she helped finance by winning the NYPD Emerald Society Scholarship and the Holy Name Scholarship. After Stony Brook, Betty Ann worked in Manhattan and especially loved her job at Chase. She started dating John Zielkowski after their meeting at the local Knights of Columbus. She and John were married at Mary Queen of Heaven Church on May 20, 1984. They started their family with the birth of Matthew John; the birth of Amanda Kate followed, flushing out their family of four. Betty Ann was a devoted and very happy mother, from being Girl Scout leader and class mother in their grammar school days to lending advice, regardless of time of day or night, as her kids moved into their adult lives. In addition to being a great mother, Betty Ann was a wonderful Aunt to the many nieces and nephews in the family. She was always traveling somewhere for a Baptism, Communion, Confirmation, Graduation or a Wedding. She continually went out of her way to send well wishes, even for the most minor of life events. In spite of the many hardships it brought, she was a die-hard New York sports fan. She was known to say she was “off to church to pray for the Jets” or to enthusiastically and optimistically participate in the character building exercise of rooting for the New York Mets, year after year. Betty Ann became a Real Estate Agent in 2003, selling many houses throughout Staten Island. Her thoughtfulness carried over into her career where she picked out personalized gifts for each client to celebrate their new home. When the Real Estate market slowed down, Betty Ann managed the office for aRKay Design Company. In the spring of this year, Betty Ann fell ill. On November 7, 2022, Betty Ann went into cardiac arrest. Her son Matthew was with her as she left this world and joined her Savior. She was preceded in death by her parents, and her brother Eddie. Betty Ann is survived by her husband of 38 years, John, and their children, Matthew and Amanda. She leaves behind her brothers, Thom Bradley (Marianne) and Gerry Bradley (Pamela), and her sister Kathy Stokes (Tom). Funeral from the Matthew Funeral Home, Inc. 2508 Victory Boulevard, on Monday, 11/14, departing at 10:00 am. Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at Holy Family R.C. Church at 10:30 am. Family and friends may visit on Sunday, 11/13, from 2:00 to 4:00 and 7:00 to 9:00 pm. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital in Betty Ann’s memory. www.stjude.org