Michael S. Bradley

Michael “Mike” Sheridan Bradley, professional laborer and supervisor, has died. He was 59. He was a warm, friendly, gentle giant whose love for animals was legendary. He was handsome, smart, hard-working, and well-liked. He made friends easily, and he was fiercely loyal to his friends. His intelligence and entrepreneurial spirit guided his path in life.

Mike was born on August 3, 1962, in Inglewood, California, and adopted by his parents at birth. His father, George Richard “Brad” Bradley, was an optometrist at the Lakewood May Company. His mother, Nicolina “Nicki” Guido Bradley, was an elementary school teacher and children’s librarian for the Long Beach Unified School District. Mike was his parents’ first child and only son, and they were over the moon with joy at his birth. He was named after Saint Michael the Archangel, a spiritual warrior in the battle of good versus evil, and in memory of his uncle, Robert Sheridan Bradley, who predeceased him (1959). The Bradleys lived at 1754 Chandeleur Drive, San Pedro, California, and soon Brad and Nicki adopted two more infants, Melissa and Maureen, creating a family of 5 within six months. Mike took the role of big brother seriously, and the 3Ms, as they were known, were a tight-knit bunch. The San Pedro house remained front and center in Mike’s mind throughout his life as well as the Wee Tot Nursery School on 7 ^th Street where Mike and his sisters attended. San Pedro meant home and freedom to Mike and Wee Tot symbolized love and acceptance from his beloved teacher, Miss Beth. He never forgot her and how she made him feel valued and special.

During the early 1970s, the family moved to Cypress in Orange County, first to a townhouse, and then to a larger home at 9327 Lexington Street. Mike helped his dad build the second floor of the house and learned the skills that would serve him in construction jobs throughout his life. He and his dad worked Saturdays and Sundays for over a year until the second floor was complete, making regular trips to ABC Lumber in Los Alamitos to gather supplies. The family moved to the new home in 1972. He attended Lexington Junior High School and Cypress High School and from there entered the workforce excelling in jobs at a lawyer’s office as a gofer and then in the printing/copying sector. After his father died in 1991, he moved to Texas and spent the next 23 years in Texas. In Houston, he had his own corporate printing business, Cali Productions, and was successful. After that, he began to work in the construction and HVAC industries using the general carpentry skills he learned from his dad. He had a variety of jobs including HVAC and commercial fire alarm installer, site superintendent for a residential contractor, project manager assistant for hotel renovations, and another side business he created: MSB Services for handyman jobs. For the past several years and shortly before his death, Mike worked tirelessly as a project superintendent for JPS Designs + Build in Santa Ana where he was a much-loved colleague. He went by the nickname “Magic” because he could get the job done with excellence.

Mike was passionate about work and excellent customer service, trucks and motorcycles, camping, the news, the weather, fairness, and loyalty. He loved traveling to the Vegas desert so he could ride free. He loved surfing so that he could hang ten. Mike loved his friends and was often checking-in with them and ending conversations and texts with those he cared for with the words: 'love you bro.’

Mike will be remembered: by his work colleagues for his dedication to the job, reliability, and positive attitude; by his friends for his desire to be a great friend and learn from them; by his family for his heart, insight into human behavior, and encyclopedic knowledge of “growing up Bradley” with incredible recall on details about family events, mom and dad witticisms, and memorable quotes from both sets of grandparents; and by people he met in passing for his genuine interest in their life stories.

Mike was looking forward to the new year. He saw the bright side of every situation and was committed to a positive posture. He had a new job lined up waiting for him that offered security and provided room for growth and advancement. And he always hoped that a better, happier life was waiting for him, and that it was not too late for him to achieve this. His simple dream was loving and being loved in return by somebody other than his family.

He is survived by his mother, Nicolina, whom he loved with all his heart; his two younger sisters, Melissa (Frank) and Maureen; and his niece, Francesca. He was predeceased in death by his father, George (1991), who loved him unconditionally; and his loving aunt, Dominica “Dee” Mary Bradley (2020), who shared Mike’s attributes of kindness and goodness to all.

A memorial service and celebration of Mike’s life will be held on Sunday, January 23, 2022, at 1pm at Luyben Dilday Mortuary Chapel, 5161 E. Arbor Road, Long Beach, CA, 90808. Contact information: mbradley@ph.lacounty.gov

In lieu of flowers, contributions in Mike’s memory may be made to the following organization where Mike had received services:

Share Our Selves, a nationally recognized health center providing high quality, comprehensive safety net services to the Orange County community. https://www.shareourselves.org/get-involved/give/

Luyben Dilday Mortuary (562) 425-6401