Rebecca Woodham was born on January 1, 1948, to Luther Marshall Woodham and Anna Lois Moore Woodham of Opp, Alabama. She was the baby of three girls and adored her big sisters, Marsha and Linda. She had a wonderful small-town childhood and graduated from Opp High School in 1966. She is blessed with three children, two stepchildren, 12 grandchildren, and four great grandchildren. Her children, Brett Ballard (Wendy); Christy Harrell (Gary); Brock Ballard (Carla); Brent Bracke (Amy); and Carrie Buckelew (David) all live in Opp. All of her children and grandchildren received an excellent education in the Opp City Schools system and five of her children/grandchildren are employed as educators in this system.
Becky Bracke’s passion is people, and her accomplishments in life over the years have revolved around caring for and improving the lives of the people of Opp. Seeing the need for a childcare center in Opp (a new concept in the 1970s), she opened Becky’s Kinder Kollege in September 1977. From its inception, Becky incorporated a teaching component into her daycare. At that time, there were no kindergarten classes in the Opp City School System. After seeing another need for school-aged children to attend after-school daycare as well as summer daycare, she expanded the business by adding an extra house for these school-aged children. Becky’s Kinder Kollege now has an enrollment of approximately 100 children per day each year. Over the course of its 45-year existence, hundreds of Opp’s children have spent many hours of their formative years as students in her care.
As her own parents became elderly and in need of care, Becky began researching another new concept, assisted living. After a year of research and planning, she broke ground on such a facility. In November of 1998, The WoodMoore Assisted Living Facility opened its doors. This facility has 16 units, and has
served as home to more than 100 senior citizens.
Becky Bracke has been a member of First Baptist Church of Opp since 1957 and has been deeply involved in the church, serving in its nursery for over 50 years and singing in the choir for at least 30 years. She has also served on several church committees. She has been a member of the Opp Chamber of Commerce for over 40 years and served on the board for three years. In addition, Becky was an elected member of the Opp City Board of Education for a full term. She is currently in her second term as the City of Opp’s first female mayor. Becky Bracke has had, and continues to have, a major influence on many citizens of Opp who are now contributing to our hometown through their work as teachers, business owners, administrators, and coaches-to name just a few.
Becky Woodham Bracke possesses a sincere love for Opp-her hometown, and her desire is for Opp to become a revitalized community where residents can work, learn, shop, dine, and play. She is honored to be inducted into the 2022 Opp Hall of Fame. Through her vision and actions, Becky has made an indelible imprint on Opp and Covington County!
