Brad Wilson

There is not any one word to describe the unique, caring, and loving person that made up Bradley Wilson. He was a fun loving, free spirited man, who wore his heart on his sleeve. He was multi-talented in many respects, and lived his life in service to others. But his greatest accomplishment, and his greatest joy, was that of loving husband, father, and friend, to all that knew him.

With the baby boom in full swing, the 1950s were marked by a quieter, more stable time in American history. Families did much together, and sat down in the evenings to watch their favorite television programs like The Ed Sullivan Show, and I Love Lucy. Matchbox cars and Pez candy dispensers made their debut. On August 22, 1952, in the bustling city of Kalamazoo, Michigan, Norman and Mary Wilson were welcoming a debut of their own, with the birth of their son, Bradley. Brad was the second of four children, the only boy surrounded by sisters Brenda, Wendy, and Kim. He was raised living on Potter Street, and grew up on a large farm on KL Avenue. Life on the farm provided Brad with many fond memories of his childhood. He and his sisters, as well as his friends, had many adventures throughout their years there. At over sixteen hands tall, the family took special joy in their family horse, affectionately named, Cindy.

It was a working farm, too, so there were many chores to be accomplished each day. It was here that Brad learned to work well with his hands, as well as developing a strong work ethic. He learned to hunt, mostly deer, and was good with the bow, and shotgun. Later in life, he made a trip to Canada, snagging a bear with his bow. Brad found his fare share of mischief as a boy, too. One time, his sisters had locked him in the attic, and he used sheets as his getaway, to climb out the window. Needless to say, he was in for it when caught by his parents! Always a hands-on kind of guy, Brad was quite industrious in his work. In fact, his very first job, outside the farm, of course, was building monkey apparatuses for a University Professor. While in high school, he even took some woodworking classes.

But it was during his sophomore year at Portage Northern, while at a basketball game, that his attention was directed toward a pretty girl named, Cinda. Brad and Cinda were introduced by one of Cinda’s friends, and the two really hit it off, continuing to date for close to ten months. It was then that Brad’s dad took a job transfer, and they moved to Pennsylvania. The young couple was devoted in writing letters back and forth, and their love for one another continued to grow. Cinda went for a visit during spring break, and ended up going back, to stay. Brad‘s family took her in, as if she were already their own. Brad graduated from Penn Hills High School, and the very next year, on January 30, 1971, he and Cinda were married. But on their wedding day, in order to have flowers for their wedding, they had to swing by the local 7-11 convenience store to get them, because the flower truck wouldn’t make it up the slippery hill, in the snowstorm they were having! It was certainly a day they would always remember, and fondly, with a smile. Brad had a knack for being a jokester, and lovingly teased and picked on Cinda, throughout the years. Brad was “always” right, and was quite the annoying perfectionist, in a loving way. She was always there for Brad, backing him up, in all his endeavors.

Later that year, when Cinda was pregnant with their first child, the young couple moved back to Michigan. They lived in Sturgis, in a mobile home located on farm land. Brad provided for his growing family by taking a job at a furniture store. Always hands-on, he even expanded his skills by taking a class in upholstery, and eventually wanted to get involved in making furniture. Brad and Cinda added to their family, with the birth of two more daughters. After Tami was born in 1971, Tina came along in 1973, followed by their youngest, Teri, in 1976. Brad had a big soft spot for his girls, and loved them deeply. He was always a fun dad, and even let them get away with things. Never the disciplinarian, he could never bring himself to spank them, and was never too serious with them, either. Several times, he even allowed them to have water fights in the house, with the hose! And Brad was big on Christmas, one of his favorite holidays and always made sure there were lots of presents. It would be fair to say he spoiled his girls, a bit, but then that was Brad, always giving of himself. As a gift for their graduations, he bought a vehicle for Tami, as well as Teri. He was the proudest of fathers when he walked them down the aisle. He even hand-built a special dolphin table for Teri, as a wedding gift. In 1976, Brad faced a serious bout with cancer. He learned then, not to take life too seriously, and to live life to its fullest.

Never one to sit idle, Brad broadened his horizons, by working with aluminum siding. He and his family later moved to a home on Lovers Lane, in his hometown of Portage, where he continued to work in the siding business. Brad was an all around people person, and soon landed a job with a builder, named Ron. He worked with siding, as well as doing trim and detail work. In his heart, Brad also felt led to help people. It was in his character to be a caregiver. In 1987, he inquired about a position as a firefighter. He applied for the job, but was declined because he had a mustache. When a new Chief came he allowed Brad to keep his mustache as long as he could keep a good seal. He reapplied, and was gratefully accepted, first as an auxiliary fireman. He then worked on-call for four years, and eventually moved to a fulltime position, where he achieved 1st place in his agility tests. All that work on the farm really paid off for Brad! In fact, the very same day, he received his builder’s license, as well. Brad was gifted at being multi-talented, in so many different ways. He was a go-getter, and worked hard for what he wanted. On his first call as a fireman, he was on the scene of an accident that involved a four year old little girl, and her grandmother. With Brad’s tender heart, he felt compelled to visit with the little girl, and even brought her a stuffed animal, just so he could offer her comfort. He felt so strong about his work, he was involved visiting schools, teaching about fire safety, and would give tours of the fire department.

A hard and dedicated worker, Brad realized when Tami began dating Larry that the years had quickly passed by. His work had kept him away from home quite a bit when girls were young, and he missed out on so much. Always giving of himself, he became involved in Teri’s band performances, even building some of the props, and hauled equipment. When Tina was in color guard, he would often use his skills to help out there, too. Brad was a huge advocate of the Great Lakes Burn Camp for Children. To help raise funds that would help kids to attend the camp, Brad became involved in the parades, cooked in the kitchen, and helped with their annual golf outings. He even got his kids involved in the effort. He also helped the Lion’s Club raise money for muscular dystrophy.

Brad was not about all work, and no play, though. He found quiet freedom riding his Honda motorcycle, even taking a trip to Canada on it. He enjoyed a good drink of Southern Comfort and Dr. Pepper. He liked to entertain, and was often the life of the party. He built up his yard, and remodeled his basement, adding a bar, ceiling tiles, trim, and even made his own hardwood floors, just to entertain! Family and friends alike, always looked forward to his “family folly” pig roasts, that often lasted all day. And everyone was invited! For celebrations, he would even include his grandkids, and buy non-alcoholic champagne for them. He loved surprises, especially when they involved those he loved, and also found excitement in being the recipient of a surprise or two, also. And he was known for making special birthday cakes, even decorating them. He loved to embarrass the girls by wearing his orange beanie with a brown ball on top, and flashy Mickey Mouse boots, too.

A lover of dogs, Brad always had a dog, or two, in his life. Tattle Tale was his favorite, and went everywhere with him, even to his construction sites. He was never fond of cats, that is until Cinda got a Persian, who absolutely loved Brad. He couldn’t resist! He was a free spirit, and loved the thrill of rollercoaster’s, and amusement park rides. He was an adventuresome sport, taking in skydiving, and repelling, as well.

When Brad became a grandfather, he was truly in his element. He cherished his grandchildren, and would do anything for them. He built them special furniture, loved to play with them, and was always feeding them sweets. He had special nicknames for each of them, too. He took special joy in teaching them things, and loved taking them fishing.

A cancer survivor of 32 years, Brad began to feel ill this past spring, and soon discovered the cancer had returned. Even with his hardest efforts, he was not able to overcome it this time, and sadly, Brad died peacefully, on Monday, December 29, 2008, with his loving family at his side.

Brad Wilson was a man with a generous heart. He was fun loving, and found freedom within himself, to be his own man; a man who wore his heart on his sleeve, and lived his life in service to others. His greatest accomplishment, and his greatest joy, was being a loving husband, father, and friend, to all that knew him.

Brad was preceded in death by his grandparents, Carl and Mildred Wilson, Joseph and Clara Grosser, and his stepfather, Arthur Lubbert. He is survived by his parents, Norman (Donna) Wilson of Pittsburg, Penn; and Mary Lubbert, of Kalamazoo; his wife, Cinda Wilson; three children, Tami(Larry) Snell of Kalamazoo, Tina(Charles) Roberts, of Kalamazoo, and Teri (Chad) King, of Galesburg; six grandchildren: Ashley, Cody, Bradley, Caitlyn, Michelle, Braydon, and one on the way; 3 sisters: Brenda (William Stahl) Turek of Kissimmee, FL, Wendy Barker of Kinston, NC, and Kim (Tom) Carr of Williamstown, NJ; many nieces and nephews. Learn more about Bradley, view his Life Story Film, and visit with family and friends, while sharing some light refreshments, on Friday, January 2, 2009, from 4:00-8:00 PM at the Life Story Funeral Home, Betzler-Kalamazoo, 6080 Stadium Drive, 375-2900. Funeral services will be held Saturday, January 3, 2009, 10:00 AM at the funeral home. Entombment at Mt. Ever-Rest Cemetery, with a luncheon to follow at the Birches. Please visit Bradley’s personal web page at www.lifestorynet.com, where you can archive a favorite memory, photo, or sign his online memory book before coming to the funeral home. Memorial contributions may be made to the Great Lakes Burn Camp.