Obituary of Robert Bradfield

Robert M. "Bob" Bradfield, a long-time Boulder resident, died July 20, 2013 at Sunrise Assisted Living in Boulder after a long illness. He was 88. A Graveside Service will be held at 9:00 a.m., August 3, 2013 at Green Mountain Cemetery, 290 20th St., Boulder. A Celebration of Bob's Life will follow at 10:00 a.m. at University Lutheran Chapel, at the corner of Folsom & Colorado in Boulder. A reception will follow the service at the church. Bob was a long-time Boulder resident. He was born Dec. 27, 1924 in Greeley, Colo., the son of Miles Davis Bradfield and Blanche Weidman Bradfield. He moved to Boulder at age 2 and attended Highland Elementary School, University Hill Junior High School and Boulder High School, graduating in 1942. He spent one year at the University of Colorado Boulder before serving in the U.S. Army. He returned to CU after the war and graduated with a degree in architectural engineering in 1950. Bob married Betty Hensley on June 24, 1950 in Nacogdoches, Texas. She died in 2001 in Boulder. He was the long-time owner, until 1984, of his father's business, Bradfield's Building Supply in Boulder. He served in the Army from 1943 to 1946, fighting in the campaign to liberate the Philippines in World War II, and later with the U.S. Army Reserve Corps of Engineers in the Korean War from 1950-52. Bob was extremely committed to the Boulder community. Never one to simply belong, he believed in getting involved and was known to many people. He was active in the Boulder Historical Society, Rotary, and the Boy Scouts and volunteered at the Boulder Community Hospital Information Desk. Whenever someone needed a volunteer, they knew they could count on Bob. Bob was deeply interested in the history of the Civil War and had shelves and shelves of books about the war. He and Betty were great animal lovers who gave many former racing greyhounds and afghan hounds a home in the final years of their lives. In the last years of his life he enjoyed having his cat Shaunta with him in assisted living. Bob was preceded in death by his wife; his parents; and a daughter-in-law, Lisa Bradfield. He is survived by a daughter, Nancy Valentine and her husband Jess of Erie, Colo.; son Richard Bradfield and grandson Robert Bradfield of Waco, Texas. Memorial contributions may be made to Boulder Rotary Club Foundation (BRCF), 5390 Manhattan Circle, Suite 101, Boulder, CO 80303-4282.