Patrick Clyde Bradford

And so our hearts are broken at the passing of Patrick Clyde Bradford, beloved brother, uncle,
friend and work husband. Pat excelled at each of these roles and the pain we feel from his
leaving this earth is prescient and overwhelming- he is missed. Born January 16, 1961 in
Houston, Texas, Patrick became a Bradford in his first few days of life and proved an excellent
first child to MC and Bette. Against Pat’s better advice the family added Anne, James and Beth
to the mix, but Pat turned out to be a loving and wonderful older brother.
Pat was born for the theater and nurtured by a grandmother- Sybil (Mamaw) Bradford who loved
performing stories and recitations from memory. Mamaw taught Pat how to commit to telling a
story and taught him the “Crooked Mouth Story”, which he would repeat to generations of nieces
and nephews and that was told again to Pat in the hospital. As a child, Pat would direct Anne
and James, and later Beth, in plays and presentations for our patient parents- his magic act
included a trick where he sawed Anne in half!
At age 12 Pat was cast in a musical at the Denver Center for the Performing Arts about the life
of George Ferris and his wheel and would go on to starring roles at Wheat Ridge High School in
Romeo and Juliet and other productions. Pat was Drum Major at Wheat Ridge, a job he
performed with flourish and perfection- the way he did everything. At the University of Colorado
Pat majored in Theater and starred in musical theater productions at that school, including the
title role in You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown to excellent reviews.
After college he went on to a professional life of service to those facing a more difficult path, Pat
went to work for Bayaud Industries, working primarily with brain injured people attempting to
re-learn living and working skills. Pat took his work very seriously and worked to help people
have independence and confidence in their lives post-injury, working with compassion and
pushing them to go as far as they could. Retiring after 30 years of service, Pat went to work for
Adams County and helped people in need access vital city, state and federal benefits. Pat was
well loved at work, as evidenced by the devotion of and care of his colleagues who visited the
hospital and brightened his days during this impossible time for him, and the outpouring of grief
since. His work-wife Theresa gave him the nickname “Patty-cakes” and made him a part of
poker games and other gatherings outside the office.
Pat loved the Broncos, kindly agreeing to take his annoying little brother to the 1977 AFC
Divisional Playoff (Raiders) and AFC Championship (Steelers) games which sent the team to
their first of many Super Bowls. He was also the founder and main driver of an acapella singing
group called The Neighbors, which had a wonderful 10 year run singing in festivals and bars in
Denver. Pat loved family and family gatherings, and took it upon himself to spend several years
planning a gathering in Casper, Wyoming to experience the total solar eclipse along the “Line of
Totality” there. The hard work paid off as a life reaffirming experience for everyone who went. To
those of us who love him, Pat will always be remembered as a gentle soul with an iron
constitution; an enigma who kept his private life just that way but shared his love freely. Thank
you, Pat for an incredible run. We will miss you, your humor, your talent and the surprise of what
you would do next.