William E Bradford

William (Bill) Bradford, age 74 passed away at BeeHive Homes of Helena just shy of his 75th birthday on July 6th, 2022, after battling Alzheimer's/Dementia.

Born in Butte America to William E. Bradford, Sr. and Margaret (Mulholland) Bradford on 7/17/1947, the family moved to Helena shortly after Bill's birth. He joined an older brother, Michael, and later his two younger sisters, Jane and Marie, were added to the family. They loved visiting family in Butte and playing at Columbia Gardens.

He attended Catholic parochial school in Helena: Cathedral Grade School and Cathedral High School, graduating in 1965. He began attending college in Bozeman at Montana State University in 1965, originally studying for a degree in Mechanical Engineering. He left school and joined the Army Reserve, 159th Support Group - Helena - and served 6 years there. He returned to MSU in the fall of 1974 to pursue a Bachelors of Business Degree, and in 1976 he completed it and passed the CPA exam.

He met Sandy Nopper (from White Sulphur Springs), and they were married in August of 1973. Their son, Chris, was born in 1981. Bill worked for the Anderson-ZurMuehlen CPA firm after graduating from MSU. He also worked for Northern Energy, Montana Propane, and retired from MDM Supply (now known as Dakota Supply Group) in 2014. Bill and Sandy enjoyed wintering in Mesa, Arizona from 2016-2020, and enjoyed golfing.

In his youth, Bill played the catcher position for little league baseball. He was a member of the Prickly Pear Gun Club and was an excellent target shooter. His interests included restoring and working on cars. He belonged to a local car club and enjoyed owning a red 1967 Pontiac GTO and a white 1956 T-Bird in which he received several awards and trophies. His favorite music was the Beach Boys. Bill was an excellent downhill skier. He also owned a Harley Street Glide and enjoyed many trips (out of state and in Canada) with his Harley buddies on "Thunder Road".

Bill was preceded in death by his parents and nephew, Jeffrey Bradford.

He is survived by his wife of 48 years, Sandy, and his son, Chris, of Bozeman, Montana, as well as his siblings Mike (Debbie) Bradford of Michigan, Jane (Mike) McCrone of Nebraska, and Marie Bradford (Russ Sperry) of Washington, plus a nephew and a number of nieces and their families.

The family extends a special thank you to Beehive Homes of Helena and Hospice of St. Peters. Donations in Bill's memory can be made to any of the following organizations:

• Options Clinic 
• Farm in the Dell
• God's Love Shelter
• Helena Food Share

A graveside service with military honors will be held at Forestvale Cemetery on Friday, September 9th, at 3:00 PM. A memorial service will be held the following day (Saturday, September 10th) at the Mountain Family Fellowship at 1:00 PM.

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