Funeral services for Jeffrey L. Bradley, 51, of Manilla, will be held at 10:30 a.m., Saturday, Oct. 10, 2020, at the Henry-Olson Funeral Chapel in Estherville with Father Merlin Schrad officiating. Interment will be at St. Jacob’s Catholic Cemetery, Graettinger. Visitation will be from 5-7 p.m., Friday, Oct. 9 at the funeral chapel in Estherville.
Jeff’s family asks that masks be worn at both visitation and the funeral.
Jeffrey L. Bradley, son of Jerry and ViAnn (Skow) Bradley was born in Estherville, Iowa on June 10, 1969. He grew up in Estherville and graduated from high school in 1989.
He enlisted in the United States Army and served as a mechanic in Georgia. He was deployed to Iraq during Desert Storm in 1990 and concluded his active service in Korea in 1994. He enlisted and retired from the Army National Guard with 20 years of service attaining the rank of Staff Sergeant. He served with guard units in Estherville, Jackson, and Audubon and was deployed a total of three times in the Middle East.
When he returned from active duty, he attended Minnesota West Technical College with degrees in Wind Turbine and Power Lineman and graduated in 1998. His first job was working for the city of Manning. While there, he met Wendy Love and they married in December 2000. Their daughter Cassidy was born in August 2002. The couple later divorced, and Jeff moved to Manilla. Jeff was employed by NIPCO, Bohlmann, Western Iowa Tech, and UPS part-time. He eventually became a driver at UPS where he was affectionately called “Soldier.”
In 2012, Jeff met Arnalin (Claresse) and together were raising her children, Ethan and Amber. They were engaged to be married on August 15, 2020.
Jeff had been a member of the VFW in Estherville. He enjoyed riding motorcycles, fixing cars, doing home improvements, going to Omaha, camping, and visiting with friends and relatives. He was a proud veteran and loved his country. He really enjoyed eating at Olive Garden and Texas Roadhouse. He will always be remembered for his quirky smirk and love for family and friends. Jeff definitely had a temper and a stubborn side but would do anything for anyone....a true and loyal friend.
On Thursday, September 17, 2020, Jeff passed away due to an accident at his home in Manilla. He was 51 years, 3 months, and 7 days old.
Jeff is survived by his daughter Cassidy Bradley of Denison; his fiancée Clareese, and her children Ethan and Amber Huss of Manilla; his father Jerry of Estherville; sister Liza Baker and her husband, Howard of Estherville: brother Mike Bradley and his wife, CJ of San Antonio; nieces and nephew: Cody Baker, Lorissa Baker, Samantha Bradley, and Mikayla Bradley; and “lots” of extended family. He was preceded in death by his mother, grandparents, and sister Lori.
Online condolences may be left for the family at HenryOlsonFuneral.com.
