OBITUARY: Thomas Bradley, 76

Below is an obituary from Driscoll Funeral Home:

HAVERHILL, MA — Thomas Gerard Bradley, 76, passed away at High Pointe House in Haverhill in the loving presence of family after a six-year battle with Alzheimer’s Disease.

Thom was a graduate of Nazareth High School in Brooklyn, NY. He was appointed to the United States Military Academy at West Point, NY by Senator Robert F. Kennedy in 1966. Captain Thomas Bradley served five years in the United States Army, including as a Platoon Leader in the Panama Canal Zone and with the 75th Explosive Ordinance Disposal (EOD) at Selfridge Air Force Base in Michigan. Thom’s EOD unit swept sites with the United States Secret Service for dignitaries; one highlight included meeting former President Gerry Ford. Thom was honorably discharged in 1975.

After his military service, Thom began a 25-year business career, working at CitiBank in Manhattan and in Vice President roles for banking and insurance companies, including The New England Life Insurance Group, Connecticut General (now CIGNA), Shawmut National Bank, and Fleet Bank (now Bank of America).

Following his business career, Thom followed his heart and began a second career developing high school athletes. For nearly 20 years, he coached baseball, basketball, cross country and track and field. Notably, Thom was the longtime head coach of cross country and track and field at Wilmington High School.

He was a lifelong sports enthusiast. An excellent baseball catcher at Nazareth High School, he also played at West Point. In the US Army, he reveled in winning a championship on his base’s basketball team (which included ringers who played Division I college basketball) and continued to play pickup basketball at the gym into his sixties. A lifelong daily runner, he ran countless 5K and 10K road races and completed 11 marathons.

Thom enjoyed the coast of Maine and vacationed with family in the Kennebunkport and Biddeford Pool areas. He cheered the progress of his eight grandchildren in their activities and sports. Thom was an inveterate reader of newspapers, and books related to sports, history, politics, and theology. He was also a gifted storyteller, focusing on family and recalling his roots in Brooklyn. As as devout Roman Catholic, Thom was a regular churchgoer and often attended daily mass and Eucharistic Adoration. For many years, he upheld a devotion to the Blessed Mother and Saint Therese of Lisieux, or the Little Flower of Jesus.

Predeceased by his mother, Katherine Bradley, his father, Vincent Bradley, his sister Bettyanne Zielkowski, and his brother Edward Bradley. He is survived by his loving and devoted wife of 54 years, Marianne Bradley, and their children Vincent Bradley (Susan) of Andover, MA; Brian Bradley (Erica) of Levittown, NY; Meghan Morin (David) of Haverhill; and Erin Keenan (Brendan) of Lancing, England.

Thom was the proud grandfather of Seamus, Niamh, and Diarmuid Keenan of England; Caleigh, Brendan, and Ryan Bradley of Levittown, NY; and Eamonn and Declan Bradley of Andover, MA. Thom is also survived by his brother Gerard Bradley (Pamela) of South Bend, IN, and his sister Kathleen Stokes (Thomas) of Easton, MD. Furthermore, he is survived by many nieces, nephews and cousins.

Visitation will be Wednesday, April 2, in the Driscoll Funeral Home, 309 S. Main Street, Haverhill from 4:00 to 7:00 PM. Services will begin Thursday in the funeral home at 9:00 AM. Funeral Mass of Christian Burial will will be held in Sacred Hearts Church, 165 S. Main Street, Haverhill at 10:00 AM. Interment with U.S. Army Honors in Spring Grove Cemetery, Andover. Contributions may be made in his memory to either St Ann’s Home and School in Methuen, MA or St. Anthony Shrine, “The Church on Arch Street,” Boston. For guestbook, please visit www.driscollcares.com.