Thomas "Tom" Richard Bradley
July 26, 2020
Baraboo
– On April 3, 1948, a boy was born to Ralph and Dorothy Bradley in Edgerton,
Wis. They say, “Everyone has a book inside them.” This was certainly true of
Tom, but to record all the stories and adventures of his lifetime would take
volumes. Tom died July 10, 2020 at the age of 72. As
a child, Tom was independent and adventurous, exploring the fields and streams
of Dane County with keen sense of interest in the bigger world around him. He
attended a one room school until 8 th
grade and went on to graduate
from Stoughton High School. As a teenager, he was defiant and reckless, wanting
to be where the action was. Though he loved and respected his father, the owner
of BFS Construction Co., Tom resented being expected to spend childhood summers
digging footings, laying block and pounding nails. He had a yearning to explore
the world and even ran off to Hawaii to spend summers on the beach. He felt
free living hand to mouth, surfing and hanging out with friends listening to a
young band led by Carlos Santana practicing on the beach. Other summers were
spent bar tending at the Show Boat and Reef in Wisconsin Dells. In
his early 20’s, Tom became the owner of the Norse Chalet in Stoughton and
discovered his life-long love of restaurants and cooking. He fought a restless
soul though, and just could not stick with one endeavor resulting in the buying
and selling of many restaurants and businesses over the years. His intelligence
and enterprising abilities led him down many paths. He fished shrimp off the
coast of Florida and had and exotic car business. He was a foreman on the
Excalibur Hotel in Las Vegas. He was one of the first vendors at the Madison Farmer’s
Market and loved selling produce. He obtained his pilot and real estate licenses.
He lived on a boat in a marina in Okland, California. He owned a jewelry store
and bought and sold many items at flea markets over the years. He ran his own
construction company until his health began failing in the early 90’s, loved
wood working and making “old things look new again.” Tom
had an inventing mind, working with the Fishing Has No Boundaries charity to
develop a prototype production he called the “slick stick” to help handicapped
individuals fish more easily. He developed another product which helped
carpenters lay out construction studs more efficiently. Tom enjoyed developing
businesses, but was often his own worst enemy. He trusted others to run them
and was often taken advantage of. He did not follow through on paperwork and
legal documentation which resulted in many legal and financial struggles over
the years. He was diagnosed with bipolar disorder later in life, which was very
enlightening, but not before struggling with the fall out through many
endeavors. Tom
met Alex Jordan in the early 80’s and began traveling the world over in search
of rare or unusual items to offer Alex for the collections display at the House
On The Rock. Tom also fabricated many items in his workshop in McFarland for
Alex. To this day, many of Tom’s “finds” such as the carriages, the ivory, the
crown jewels, the wax heads and the weapons still remain on display at the
HOTR. Tom owned and operated the first concession stand there as well. He met
many celebrities in his travels all over the world, dined in some of the finest
restaurants and stayed in some of the finest hotels, but he was also
comfortable making new friends with the guy on the street and knew what it was
like to be hungry. He always fought for the underdog and never passed by a
beggar without offering food. When Tom had money, everyone had money; he was
generous to a fault. Tom
was an avid fisherman and musky hunter. He was proud to have received the
Fenwick Master Fisherman award in 1981. The
one thing in life that brought Tom immense pride was his daughter, Michelle.
The early years were good and he spent a lot of time with her, but a bitter
divorce from her mother resulted in many legal issues and Tom distanced
himself. They stayed in touch and have recently rekindled their relationship but
he regretted to his dying day the fact that he did not spend more time with her
during many of those difficult years. He was so proud of the woman Michelle has
become! Tom also recently reunited with a son he fathered when he was twenty.
Times were different then; unwed couples were not accepted and this child had
been given up for adoption. Tom had always hoped he would find his son but kept
running into dead ends. Michelle recently discovered his whereabouts and Tom
described the feeling of hearing from his son, Richard, as one of the greatest
gifts he could have received in his life, along with the birth of Michelle. Tom’s
“live for today” behavior coupled with genetic predispositions for bipolar and
heart trouble resulted in many serious health issues developing in the past two
decades. He suffered from complications of congestive heart failure, diabetes
and kidney disease. He underwent heart bypass, mitral valve and abdominal
surgeries over the years. Still, he would have lived no other way. He needed to
be involved in the action, loved current events and socializing. He could get
on an elevator and befriend someone by the time he arrived at the next floor. Tom
had a number of marriages in his lifetime but his last, to Elizabeth “Beth”
Bradley lasted 28 years until his death. During that time they bred and showed
Bernese Mtn dogs. Tom designed and built Alligator Alley on Wisconsin Dells. He
and Beth leased and operated Serpent Safari in the Dells in the late 90’s
caring for some of the largest and most rare reptiles in the world! Tom took a
serious fall at the zoo which resulted in a lasting disability and they had to
give it up shortly after opening. He loved all animals and especially Beth’s
Bernese Mountain Dogs and his “buddy” Rufus, a noisy little miniature schnauzer
that worshipped the ground Tom walked on. They spent a few years traveling all
over the United States an enjoyed musky fishing in the Eagle river area. Besides
Beth, her family and his two children, Tom is survived by his sisters, Carol
(Jim) Quale and Shannon (Dave) McKichan. He is further survived by brothers
Mike, Doug (Debbie) and Joey (Theresa) Bradley and all their wonderful
families. He was preceded in death by his parents and brothers, Scott, Dick,
Kim and Tim. He loved his good friends, Dan Schuld, Dave Klotz and Jim Snyder. Tom
wanted to thank Dr. Hamburg and Dr. Carlson at Dean Healthcare as well as Dr.
Phelan, Dr. Jung and Dr. Jordan at St. Mary’s in Madison for their excellent
care the past two decades and for “ keeping me alive in spite of myself. ”
Tom’s family thanks SSM Health at Home Hospice nursing staff and the Baldwin
Funeral Home in Baraboo for their assistance. A picnic will be held this fall
to share memories. Tom loved life and had a
big heart; he tried his best and was a survivor. His life attitude was
reflected in his favorite song by Louis Armstrong: What a Wonderful World.
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