Bradford Suffes

In the wee hours of the morning on December 18, 2020, in St. Johns, Florida, Bradford Suffes, my beloved husband of 52 years of marriage, passed. He was a young 76 years old who loved life and all it had to offer.

From his childhood, born in Staten Island, New York, he lived life to the fullest. Then his dad, Thomas, was transferred with his job to Paris, France. So, Brad’s mom, Emma, his brother, Jeff and sister, Debbie, packed up and left for a new adventure. He was 6 years old. While there, Brad and his brother, Jeff, went to grammar school at Home des Esserts, Leysin, Switzerland. (So, yes, when we met, I asked him if he snow skied, he said, very shyly, yes, in the Alps, huh, yes, Swiss Alps). They lived overseas from 1953 to 1959. And, yes, he spoke fluid French.

They returned to the United States, residing in Montclair, NJ, where he attended Montclair High School and graduated in 1962. He attended Montclair State College. Brad was drafted, yes, drafted, into the United States Marines, which he said was the best thing. He served 2 years and rank was LCpl E-3. He loved being a Marine and never forgot the men who served. He respected the flag, which at every house we owned, had to have one mounted by a window, so he and anyone who went by could see it.

We met in 1964, I was the little girl driving the Mustang convertible, and when we locked eyes, that was it. We married in 1969, in New Jersey. Brad worked in sales for Strahman Valves, Inc., in NJ, then we moved to St. Johns, Florida, in the early 90’s. He was an Instructional Analyst/IT for Convergys. He retired at 60 years old. He then volunteered and was webmaster for his Montclair senior class.

Brad loved to travel and to many places I have never heard of. We took the Concord from NYC to London and came back on the QE2. Brad wanted me to experience an ocean crossing, as he had many crossings during the time he lived in Europe. He loved to snow ski, owned a beautiful 36’ Carver Boat, loved to take cruises, (we even sailed on a Windjammer throughout the Grenadines). He loved to exercise, run, (he always had that Marine cadence) restored a TR6 Triumph from ground up, built clocks, of which is an amazing grandfather clock and others of all sizes. He completed our homes of many, with built-in media centers, ship lap, wall book shelves and his latest happiness was to have his own shop, which he did.

He volunteered for Habitat for Humanity, St. Augustine, and The Saint Augustine Light House where he would help build vintage boats which were auctioned with proceeds going to the light house. He ran and finished the River Run, in Jacksonville and belonged to the National Audubon Society. He loved cars, watched all the races, loved to go to Daytona to see them getting ready for the Rolex 24. We went to the Concours d’Elegance and just about anywhere cars were.

He loved animals, fish, birds. He built, to scale, a blue bird house, which had 5 families in one year. Two days before he passed, there were six bluebirds flying around our front porch, of which on the day he died, there was one in the garage, sitting on his kayak rack.

Brad loved family. He is survived by his wife, Elaine Ann Luczon Suffes; his brothers, Jeffrey T. Suffes and Dana Lee Suffes; nieces, Kimberleigh Wolffe and Tara Lyn Suffes; and great nephew, Kieran Suffes Randall. He is predeceased by his father, Thomas R. Suffes, his mother, Emma McCue Suffes and his sister, Deborah Suffes Wolffe. He has many cousins and numerous friends. We will all miss him very much.

There is a saying hanging on our wall that says, “Together Is Our Favorite Place To Be”. Rest, my love, for we will meet again, you were the love of my life and best friend ever, Elaine.

A Memorial Mass will be celebrated at 11:00 am on Tuesday, January 5, 2021 in San Juan Del Rio Catholic Church, 1718 State Road 13 N, Saint Johns, FL 32259 with Fr. John Tetlow.

A Committal Service with Military Honors will be on Wednesday, January 6, 2021 at 2:30 pm in Cape Canaveral National Cemetery, 5525 US Highway 1, Mims, FL 32754. Family and friends are welcome to attend but the cemetery is limited to 50 people, masks are required and there will be social distancing.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to www.pawsandstripes.org.