Mission to Arizona

At an age when many move to Arizona for a healthy and relaxing retirement, Eva Miner Bradford and her husband, Stewart, are doing something just a bit different: They’re moving to a no-frills apartment in Tempe for a hard, two-year stint as Mormon missionaries.

They’re looking forward to the job, even while admitting some disappointment--they wanted to be sent to Peru.

“It’s going to be full service for the Lord,” said Eva, 73.

The last month has been a blur of preparation and tearful farewells. They sold their house and gave precious possessions--including a grand piano and French antiques--to their children, donated eight truckloads of furniture to local charities and stored the rest in a small condo they own in Provo, Utah.

Married for almost five years--a second marriage for both--Stewart, 69, is a retired dentist and Eva is acommunity activist. She was the first female mayor of La Palma, where she has just wrapped up an 11-year stint as a councilwoman.

“She’s been very dedicated to public service,” said Mayor Kenneth Blake. “She’s always looking out for the citizens. She will be greatly missed.”

In her 16 years in Orange County, she has served on La Palma’s waste-management, sanitation and housing commissions.

“I’m not a feminist, but I like my role as a woman,” said Eva, whose experience as a longtime Mary Kay beauty consultant shows in her impeccable grooming.

Accepted and respected by local government leaders--mostly men--she said she proved herself with business savvy, thorough research of issues and tireless interaction with citizens.

Last week, officials from Congress, the state Assembly and the local school board toasted her at a reception in her honor before her last City Council meeting.

A night owl, Eva said she was often up well past midnight reading mail from La Palma residents and looking up city ordinances about everything from cleaning up dog droppings to noise limitations on leaf-blowers.

“I love learning about the things that affect communities,” she said. “It’s important to serve the people who elected you. We’re not there for glory.”

Now, as unpaid missionaries, the Bradfords will devote themselves to serving God. Even after suffering serious heath problems, they’re bucking a traditional retirement.

Last summer Stewart underwent quadruple bypass heart surgery. Eva had a pituitary tumor removed in 1991.

When Eva’s doctor found out that the couple intended to work at a Mormon mission in Lima, Peru, he put the kibosh on any assignment outside of the United States. It was too much of a risk, he argued, in case of an emergency.

“They’ve been great examples of the church throughout their lives,” said Bishop Douglas De Burgh of the Cypress First Ward of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, who interviewed the Bradfords and processed their paperwork.

“They’re dedicated to the Lord and willing to dedicate two years to him. They were willing to go anywhere in the world.”

The Bradfords waited until Mormon placement officials called from Salt Lake City to tell them about their new location: Tempe, Ariz.

“It was such a surprise when we got our call,” said Eva. “We’re delighted.”

She and Stewart, who both speak Spanish, had been looking forward to the intrigue of an international locale. But it’s a blessing to them to work in a comfortable climate--similar to Southern California’s--although the heat spikes much higher in the Arizona summer.

Eva grew up in Pasadena and married a dentist from Long Beach. They were together for 40 years. When he died in 1992, Eva said she couldn’t muster up any interest in dating and resigned herself to a solitary retirement.

“To lose someone after that many years is a blow,” she said.

Meanwhile, Stewart’s wife died after a 42-year marriage. He also holed up--in his Utah townhouse, studying theology and reading books. He decided it was God’s will that he wasn’t going to be married again.

One of Eva’s daughters, who also lives in Utah, met Stewart at his office and decided he was a perfect match with her mother. She was right; their long-distance courtship lasted a year until they were married and Stewart moved to La Palma.

Now they’re rarely apart. In fact, he hasn’t missed a La Palma City Council meeting in four years. He tests the red salsa on her quail empanadas to make sure it’s not too hot for her. She brushes the lint off a sleeve of his gray blazer and makes sure he weighs himself daily.

Stewart’s calm demeanor seems a natural foil to Eva’s ebullience. The couple burst into tears when asked if they thought their former mates would approve of their new marital bliss.

“We’re star-crossed,” said Stewart, dabbing his wet eyes with a cloth napkin. “I prayed that I’d have someone come into my life who’d be my companion for the rest of my life.”

They are certain that teaching the Gospel is what they should be doing--not playing golf or relaxing at a resort. Meanwhile, they’re busy shipping their linens, silver and cooking utensils to Arizona. And the bathroom scales.

They’re not worried about the pared-back lifestyle. They won’t miss watching television or listening to the radio--as long as they have the Bible, their health and their voices to spread the word of God and comfort each other.

“Stewart has such a soothing voice,” said Eva. “He puts me to bed every night by reading the Scriptures.”