Peter Harold Bradley

Bradley, Peter Harold
Apr. 17, 1949 - Jan. 2, 2014
Loving husband, father and mentor, Peter Harold Bradley, died on Thursday, January 2, 2014.
In 1967, at 18 years old, Peter anticipated what his future autobiography would say on a college application. "I have a happy, meaningful marriage and a family that my wife and I enjoy. I find great satisfaction and intellectual fulfillment in my professional life. I have been fair to every person, and I am still doing my best to find the truth in life."
Peter began that journey on April 17, 1949, when his arrival earned him the title of "Easter Baby." From his earliest days in Traverse City, MI to his later youth in Sarasota, FL, Peter celebrated the world around him and made friends wherever he went. His father, Rodgers A. Bradley (deceased), taught him to explore nature with curiosity and respect, and his mother, Patricia S. Bradley (deceased), nurtured a passion for learning. Peter and his siblings Bill, Michael, and Kathleen, grew up swimming, camping and fishing together. His step-mother, Janet Whitman Bradley, instilled the value of dedication. He left Sarasota High School (Class of 1967) a championship swimmer, co-captain of the football team, King of the Prom, and "Best All Around."
Peter graduated from Dartmouth College in 1971 with degrees in Anthropology and Religion, fields of study that remained lifelong passions. One of his most treasured experiences was a post-college expedition to the Arctic, whose landscape and people left indelible impressions on him.
Peter met his wife, Sarah Lyn Ketchum, on a Sarasota swim team when she was nine and he was twelve, and they married in 1971. Through 42 years of marriage they steadied each other's souls in times of joy and adversity. They had two children, Lukas Bradley and Lauren Bradley Robichaud, with whom Peter instilled a love of movies and books, diving in fresh water springs, and surfing in ocean waves. He taught them how to make people feel important and loved.
Peter reinvented himself a number of times throughout his career as an educator, a salesman, an executive, and an entrepreneur. He spent his early years working in wine and whiskey distribution for Jack Daniels, later transitioning into building and construction materials, a field in which he worked for more than 25 years in Atlanta, GA. Throughout his working life, Peter's greatest passion was for people, and no matter where his work took him, he never met a stranger.
Peter retired in 2009 when he and Sarah moved to Asheville, NC to be closer to their grandson, Patrick. Peter treasured being a grandfather and breaking the rules with his small companion. He also enjoyed working part-time at the Biltmore Estate and forged meaningful relationships with his colleagues that brought him happiness in the last years of his life.
Peter could name every wild flower on a hike and every cashier at his neighborhood grocery. He could converse with enthusiasm on nearly any topic. He cherished dogs and books. He wore hats and loved to dance. He gave poems as gifts. He cried when he watched "Dr. Zhivago" but he could find humor in nearly every dark corner.
In 2003, 37 years after he wrote his future autobiography, he wrote in a letter, "I urge you to explore and nurture love in all of its forms. It has been my greatest adventure in life. And my wish for you is that you experience that in all its glory. For I believe our adventure has a purpose, that we may come into a more perfect love of ourselves and our God, who is love." Peter Bradley had a meaningful marriage. He loved his children as his best friends and soul mates. He was fair and loving to every person, and he was enthusiastic about life and work.
A memorial service for Peter H. Bradley will be held Saturday, Jan. 18, 2014 at 2pm at Jubilee Community Church of Asheville. The family will host a reception for all friends and family on Friday, Jan. 17, 2014 at 6pm at the Biltmore Forest Country Club of Asheville. Memorial donations may be sent to Brother Wolf Animal Rescue, P.O. Box 8195, Asheville, NC 28814; or to the National Forest Foundation at www.nationalforests.org.