John M. “Brad” Bradley, a 53-year resident of Winchester, died peacefully in his sleep in Winchester on Nov. 21. He was 84. Brad was born in Fitchburg, and raised in West Swanzey, NH. He graduated from Keene High School. After graduation, he enlisted in the U.S. Army, and served during World War II. Upon discharge, he enrolled in the University of New Hampshire where he earned his degree in Biology/Chemistry and several advanced degrees. While a student there, he met the love of his life, Lorraine (Ketchum), at Hampton Beach. They later married and he began his teaching career. While he was teaching in Westport, CT, painter Norman Rockwell’s staff members visited the library where he was correcting papers and interpreted that he was actually preparing an expense account. Mr. Rockwell’s painting of Mr. Bradley was featured on the Nov. 1957 cover of the Saturday Evening Post titled, “Expense Accounts”.
Subsequently, he returned to the Boston area and began a 53-year teaching career in the Medford Public School System.
Mr. Bradley had managed to have a reasonably good quality of life while coping with congestive heart failure for many years. He recovered from a very tough summer of 2008. The past 16 months have been a happy time for him and relatively uneventful health-wise. It appeared that he had been given a new lease on life after staging a dramatic recovery last summer/early fall, and the past many months have been a blessing.
He rediscovered his lifelong love of Irish music. This love was planted by his mother, Alice, a deep-rooted New England Yankee, who enjoyed playing Irish songs on the piano and having her kids gather round and sing on a Sunday night. Over the past many months, Dad became a regular at a Friday-night Irish sing-along at Bickford's Restaurant in Burlington. Each Friday night was eagerly anticipated where he and his daughters would sing, dance and be merry.
He was a great storyteller, and relished in bragging rights surrounding his family, friends and students he had at Medford High. His favorite annual event, the Bradley family reunion in Hanover, NH, gave him the opportunity to do just that. A visit to camp, his lakefront getaway that he and his brother, Morton, built nearly 60 years ago on Long Pond in Southwestern New Hampshire, about 35 miles north of where he grew up, was always a happy place for him and his family. He was always most at home in the woods of New Hampshire and succeeded in instilling that affinity in his children and grandchildren.
Brad was the beloved husband for 54 years of the late Lorraine (Ketchum) until her passing in 2004, and the loving father of Scott M. Bradley and Susan J. McLaughlin, both of Woburn, Sharon J. Bradley of Winchester, Craig W. Bradley of France and Sally B. Peacock of Winchester. He was also the dear brother of the late P. Dana Bradley of Swanzey, NH and is survived by Morton F. Bradley of Brandon, MS, H. Samuel Bradley of Keene, NH, David H. Bradley of Hanover, NH, and Nancy Priest of Overland Park, KS. Five grandchildren, several nieces and nephews, and his 12-year old black and white cat, “Sister”, further survive him. Visiting Hours will be held on Tues. from 4-8PM and his Funeral Service will be held Wed., Nov. 25 at 10AM in the Costello Funeral Home, 177 Washington St., Winchester. Relatives and friends respectfully invited. In lieu of flowers, donations in John’s memory may be made to the American Heart Association 20 Speen St. Framingham, MA 01701.