George Bradley

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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