Brad J Stafford

Brad J Stafford of Lakeway, Texas lost his hard-fought battle with cancer and passed away on Wednesday, January 15, 2025, with his loving wife Billie and his sister Dana by his side. He was 68.

Brad was born in Paintsville, Kentucky, on June 30, 1956 to Phyllis Ann (nee Davis) and PJ Stafford, Jr. He grew up in Painstville until the age of 7, with his two younger sisters, Dana and Beverly, and then the whole family moved to Lexington, Kentucky. Brad proudly claimed to be an original hillbilly from Appalachia. Brad attended Lafayette High School in Lexington, and then went on to pursue college classes at the University of Kentucky before embarking on a career in the world of computer technology.

Brad spent the late 1970s raising his two young daughters, Stacey and Kellie, and learning computer programming through his first employer, Trane, in Lexington. In 1982, Brad accepted a programming position with The Continuum Company (TCC) and moved his young family to Austin, Texas.

Brad met his soulmate and love of his life, Billie at TCC in 1985, and the two programmers spent a very interesting year from 1986 into 1987 working for TCC in Manhattan, consulting for The Equitable. Brad and Billie got married in May 1987 and went on to work for TCC together until 1999. After leaving TCC (which later became CSC), Brad worked in various capacities for the Employee Retirement System of Texas as well as the Texas Juvenile Justice Department (TJJD). Brad was passionate about applying his skill set toward helping troubled teens, and he continued this critically important work even through his cancer treatment.

One of Brad's lifelong hobbies was the technology of music & sound, and ultimately Brad became a self-taught sound engineer, partly so that he could participate in Billie's musical endeavors. Brad volunteered thousands of enthusiastic hours to sound engineering, including recording and producing multiple music CDs for Billie and friends, as well as running the soundboard for the Church of Conscious Harmony in Austin, Texas.

Brad was always happiest when he spent time laughing and celebrating holidays with family. Some of his other favorite activities included hiking, sailing, playing tennis, mountain biking, and listening to music. Brad also enjoyed learning and talking about anything that had to do with technology of any kind, especially cars, drones, helicopters, and planes.

Brad especially loved to make people laugh, and he always had a good dad joke in his pocket when he met new people.

Brad was predeceased by his father, PJ, and mother, Phyllis, and his grandparents.

He is survived by his wife, Billie Woods; two daughters, Stacey Stafford of Columbus, Ohio, and Kellie Stafford of Austin, Texas; a step-daughter, Angela Dorsey of Austin, Texas; three grandchildren, Taylor, Jace, and Laynie; two sisters, Dana Hurak (and husband, Tom Hurak) and Beverly Drew of Clearwater, Florida; along with many nieces and nephews and innumerable friends, extended family, and loved ones.

Brad's family would like to extend its sincerest and deepest thanks to the entire staff at St. David's South Austin Medical Center and Cancer Care Clinic in Austin, Texas, who provided Brad with outstanding care leading up to his transition to the other side.

A celebration of life for Brad will be held on Saturday, March 1, 2025, at the Church of Conscious Harmony in Austin, Texas at 2 PM CST.

In lieu of flowers, please consider donating to the Church of Conscious Harmony and/or the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society online here:

https://consciousharmony.org

https://lls.org