Loving Mother, Grandmother, Great-Grandmother
Kathleen M. (O’Brien) Bradley, of Osterville, MA, formerly a longtime resident of Westford, died peacefully on May 7, 2022, in Sandwich, after a long, full life, aged 98 years. She was the beloved wife of the late Richard J. Bradley Sr. with whom she had celebrated 63 years of marriage.
Born on March 20, 1924 in Arlington, MA, she was one of seven children of the late Thomas and Mary (Murphy) O’Brien.
Kathleen and Dick established and ran the successful R. J. Bradley’s Ski and Tennis Shop in Westford for over 50 years. Kathleen also owned and operated the Uniglobe Bradley Travel Agency.
She was the first woman to head the Board of Directors for the Northern Middlesex Chamber of Commerce. Kathleen was sworn in by Governor William Weld as a Trustee of Middlesex Community College, ultimately serving two, two-year terms, and was later awarded an honorary degree.
In 1986, she was honored as Lowell Business Women of the Year. She was a founder of the Enterprise Bank and Trust of Lowell, established in 1989, and remained a director until she retired at the age of 82.
After raising her family in Westford, and spending several winters in Naples, Florida, she retired to Osterville, MA in 2001.
Kathleen was very proud of the fact that her daughter, Pat Bradley, was inducted into the L.P.G.A. and World Golf Halls of Fame.
She is survived by five children, Thomas K. Bradley, Patricia E. Bradley, Mark S. Bradley, John F. K. Bradley, and Christopher P. Bradley and his wife Suzanne C. (Mahoney). A sister, Ann P. Carlisle of Centerville, MA. Nine grandchildren, seven great-grandchildren, and many nieces and nephews. She was the mother of the late Captain Richard J. Bradley Jr. and Robert P. Bradley.
Friends will be received in the Bradley Hall of St. Catherine’s Church, 107 North Main St., Westford, on Monday from 3 to 6 PM. Her Funeral Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated on Tuesday at 10 AM, followed by interment in the Massachusetts National Cemetery, Bourne, at 2 PM. In lieu of flowers, those who wish may make memorial donations in her name to Catholic Charities, 275 West Broadway, Boston, MA 02127 (https://www.ccab.org/ways-to-give/donate/) or to McCarthy Care Center Hospice, 73 Service Road, East Sandwich, MA 02537. Arrangements are in the care of the Morse-Bayliss Funeral Home, 122 Princeton Boulevard, Lowell. Funeral Director, Frederick W. Healy.
