The Tribune

By BRENT STUBBS

Senior Sports Reporter

bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

JOVIAL John Bradley, the 73-year-old former versatile athlete turned sports administrator extraordinaire, passed away at his home in Grand Bahama on Wednesday afternoon.

Predeceased by daughter, Jonni Irene Bradley, the former basketball, baseball, softball and a soccer player, leaves behind his wife, Jill Bradley, four children - Lawna Bradley-Bethel (Dr Kevin Bethel), Carolyn Bradley-Gardner (Dwight Gardner), Stacey Bradley-McBride (Chovez McBride) and John Bradley Jr, along with seven grandchildren.

Bradley-McBride assured the public that her father’s death was not COVID-19 related. She said he was an active sportsman telling jokes as he normally does up to the time of his death. They just spent time together with each other’s spouses on Sunday and Monday. She said he was healthy as a “horse,” but he “just gone” without any illnesses that they knew about.

He left behind some fond memories.

“He had four daughters and he loved his kids. We were his girls. He was good to his grandchildren too,” she said. “Daddy was a family man. We would sit around and talk jokes and just spend a lot of time together.

“If you ask anyone, they would tell you that my daddy was funny. He was a kind and loving man. He was always telling a joke – always.”

As an IT consultant, who started at IBM in 1968, Bradley was responsible for producing the results for swimming for many years. He was so efficient that he could provide stats and figures in a timely fashion for the media.

“I know personally that whenever I attended a meet or called him, he would provide the results in jiffy, never complaining, only to state: “You tell me what you need and I will get it for you.” He took delight in assisting wherever possible.

Bahamas Aquatics’ president Algernon Cargill said Bradley, who served as his first vice president, was devoted to aquatic sports and the Bahamas Triathlon Association. He even got his family members involved, including his children, who made a few national swim teams.

“He was respected by all, particularly the athletes and the news of his passing has reverberated throughout the Caribbean and even here in Tokyo at the Olympic Games,” said Cargill, who is attending the games as a member of the FINA Bureau.

“His contributions to Bahamian life have been invaluable and the federation is as successful as it is today because of John’s selfless contributions to aquatics.”

Cargill said he lost a colleague and a great friend, whom he knows will be hard to replace.

“He wore so many hats that I will have to enlist quite a few persons to ensure that everything that he did is completed at the standard John would be proud of,” Cargill said.

“I never knew or imagined that the conversations we have had over the last few days would be our last, the trip to Qatar in May would be our last together and the National Swimming Championships that he co-chaired with me in June would be our last.”

In expressing deepest sympathies to Jill, his children and the entire Grand Bahama community, Cargill said Bahamas Aquatics will always remember Bradley and will find a tangible way to memorialise him and his contributions in the near future.

Dorian Roach, a former swimmer now serving as the president of the Bahamas Triathlon Association, said he knew Bradley for years and he and his daughter, Stacey, swum together and celebrated their birthdays just a day apart.

“We grew up swimming together and that was when I got to know John as Stacey’s dad,” Roach said. “But as I got older, I got to know him when he became involved in the federation as an official and with the timing in the booth.

“In triathlon, he was one of the organisers of the Conchman, so I got to know him through that event as well. We just recently had a talk about putting on the Conchman this year, once we got permission and we put the necessary protocols in place.”

A week before he left for Tokyo, Japan, as a member of the Bahamian delegation to the 2020 Olympic Games, Roach said he and Bradley had their last conversation.

“He was always a nice guy. I always had the greatest respect for him.

“He was always around the pool helping,” said Roach, who noted that he could rely on Bradley’s support whenever they staged triathlon events like the Conchman.

“I think the swimming and triathlon community has lost a tremendous person. I was really, really shocked. I spoke to Stacey. I really feel for her and her family. He definitely was a big supporter of sports in the country.”