Bradley in Derby, England. George was an only child, but growing up he had a dear friend,
Gordon Wain, who was in effect a marvelous brother to him. George’s father died when he was
just seven years old, so he was raised by his mother and fraternal grandmother. He spent many
happy hours with “Granny Bradley” as his mother, who was employed as an office cleaner,
usually worked into the evening.
When George turned 18, he joined the Royal Air Force as World War II had started in Europe. He
served for six years in the ground crew of the Eagle Squadron, a group made up of both
volunteer Americans and English servicemen. After training in England he was sent to Algiers,
North Africa, progressing with the Allies to Tunis, Sardinia, Italy, and Malta. George always
considered himself incredibly fortunate to have served during WWII and come out no worse for
wear other than catching a cold.
After the war, George worked as a painter while taking night classes in Derby to learn lettering.
It was during this time that he met the love of his life, Bernice Wilson. Their courtship proved to
be a bit challenging as she lived 22 miles away. In his words, “The trip to see each other
necessitated 2 bus rides and 2 hours of valuable time, so in Sept. of 1948, I purchased a
motorcycle, a 500 cc “AJS” and a really nice machine. It cost £120 and was my pride and joy. It
proved to be a real boon, and cut my travel time down considerably. Bernice, on occasion,
rather reluctantly donned a large flying suit and helmet in order to keep warm. She would ride
on the pillion seat with all of her paraphernalia stuffed between us. She really enjoyed every
invigorating trip, especially when it rained, when both of us would arrive home like a couple of
drowned rats with just about everything soaked.” But this did not deter them from seeing each
other and Bernice and George married on August 26, 1950 in Sheffield, England. They were later
sealed in the Salt Lake Temple on August 26, 1954.
In the spring of 1953, George and Bernice left their homeland and sailed to New York City to
begin a new life in America. After riding across the country on a Greyhound bus for three nights
and two days, they arrived in Salt Lake City on April 24, 1953 with only a few dollars left. They
had spent all that they had to get here, but were determined to make the most of their new
home.
George met Thomas Young Jr. in Derby, where Tom was serving a mission for the Church of Jesus
Christ of Latter-Day Saints following WWII. Knowing of his painting skills, Tom expressed that if
George ever moved to the Salt Lake area, Young Electric Sign Company (YESCO) would provide
him with employment. George took Tom up on his offer and he began working for YESCO in the
summer of 1953. He began as a sign painter, hand lettering signs for a variety of businesses.
George was a hardworking and reliable employee and was offered numerous positions at
YESCO, which allowed him to advance in his career. In addition to sign painting, George worked
in sign layout, customer service, production management and eventually became Vice President
and Salt Lake Division Manager. George’s career with YESCO spanned more than 40 years and
he was always grateful he worked with many wonderful employees and multiple generations of
the Young family.
Once settled in Salt Lake City, George and Bernice welcomed their two children, Carrol and Paul
into their lives. George was a loving, engaged father who was always there to help both his
children, and later grandchildren, whenever he could with their projects. He loved to get
involved in school art projects, making Pinewood Derby cars, or fixing just about anything. He
loved playing games like darts, foosball and croquet with his kids and grandchildren. Once Carrol
and Paul had families of their own, both George and Bernice had the entire family over for
dinner every Sunday. They both made this a special time for everyone. Two more loving and
caring parents would be hard to find.
George had many hobbies of his own that he excelled in. He enjoyed oil painting, building
clocks, woodworking, and tending to his lovely garden. For most of his life, his yard looked like
an English country garden, and the home inside was truly a haven of love and solace for all
those who entered.
From birth, George was an active member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.
George’s Christ-like attributes led him to serve in a variety of positions within the Church. These
included Young Men’s leader, a counselor in several bishoprics, service on the high council, and
Stake Executive Secretary. George loved the community he served with in his ward and stake
callings, and developed many lifelong friendships.
Everyone who knew him felt welcomed and appreciated. His generosity of spirit throughout his
life affected all he came into contact with. If ever there was an example of how to live a life and
age with grace, it was George Bradley.
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FAMILY
Wilford Bradley and Emma Wigley BradleyParents (deceased)
Bernice WilsonLove of His Life (deceased)
CarrolDaughter
PaulSon
PALLBEARERS
Paul BradleyPallbearer
Edwin FirmagePallbearer
Rowan BradleyPallbearer
Christopher FirmagePallbearer
Matthew BradleyPallbearer
Andrew ProctorPallbearer
Bradley ReesePallbearer
Rick MillerPallbearer
Kenneth DudleyHonorary Pallbearer
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