John Anthony Bradanese

John Bradanese, 82, passed away on May 5th in Williamsburg, VA. His passing was sudden and unexpected. He was born on December 16th, 1941, to the last Rose (Cavelli) and Hugo Bradanese, in the North End of Boston, MA.

He was preceded in death by his parents, and his brother Robert. He is survived by his wife, Rosalie; his six adult children and their spouses; his beloved sister, Cynthia (Bradanese) Contardi, her husband Otto, and their children, Brad and Adina (Contardi) Webb, and their spouses. He is also survived by ten grandchildren, two great-grandchildren, one great niece and four great nephews.

John was proud of his Italian heritage and his induction into The Knights of Columbus in 1977. He was born, lived and worked in the Italian community of the North End of Boston for half of his life, before he married and moved to the North Shore. John then worked at the Massachusetts Port Authority (Massport) in Boston for many years, until he retired and moved to Williamsburg, VA. John loved his job at Massport and made many good friends and memories there.

John, known as "Johnny Brad" to friends and "Papa" to his children, grandchildren and great grandchildren, was a master of sarcastic humor and could be a bit of a curmudgeon at times, but he also had a mischievous side and a smile that would make you laugh. He loved his family, and they loved him. He became a dad of six overnight, and he took care of his kids, in big and small, thoughtful ways, from the moment he met them, right up to his passing. He rarely asked for anything, and he truly enjoyed the simple things in life; his daily "routines", coffee, a good game of Scrabble, surfing the internet, Rosalie's amazing cooking, his family, and the many pets and neighborhood animals he cared for over the years.

John and Rosalie shared a passion for caring for animals. In addition to the many cats, dogs, rabbits and birds who were part of their family over the years, they also loved and cared for those of their neighbors and friends, as well as the wild birds, opossums, raccoons, and the community of stray cats in Williamsburg, that brought them so much joy. If "all good animals go to heaven", you can rest assured that John will be there caring for them.

He was a wonderful man and we were fortunate to have him in our lives.