Edward Thomas Bradshaw

Ed was born on February, 25, 1942 in Franklin, Virginia to Sarah and Robert Reginald Bradshaw. He grew up in Franklin with his five siblings: Elizabeth, Reginald Lee (Bud), Rubie, Sam, and Dale. After high school he attended Richmond Professional Institute, now Virginia Commonwealth University, where he obtained his Bachelor’s degree. Ed’s interests and talents led him to pursue an education in art and a career in advertising. A job opportunity after college brought Ed to Detroit, Michigan, where he met Kathleen Knowlden. They married in 1968 and eventually settled in the Detroit suburbs and raised their two daughters.

Ed spent much of his professional career as an art director and later an executive vice president in the creative department of Campbell Ewald. His love of art went hand-in-hand with his attentiveness to beauty in the world around him. He marveled at nature’s displays of beauty, both the grandiose and the most discreet. This likely lent to his passion as an avid gardener. Ed was also a curious and involved citizen of his community, his country, and his world. He was always willing and eager to learn new things.

He loved time with family, cocktail hour with friends, and getting to know people anywhere he went. No matter the company, he loved to laugh and was always appreciative of a good joke or a funny story, whether he be telling or listening to one. A fitting tribute to Ed would be to think of a chuckle or funny story that you shared together.

To the end, Ed’s heart was always with his family: his wife, Kathleen, his daughter Heather (Erickson), her husband Marty, their daughters Chloe and Paige, his daughter Courtney (Becker), and her daughter Eden. He was a doting and proud grandfather to his three grand-daughters. Ed is also survived by many relatives in his extended family, including two of his five siblings, several of his siblings’ spouses, and many nieces and nephews and their children.

No memorial services are planned at this time. If you would like to honor Ed’s memory with a charitable contribution, please consider a donation in his name to one of the following organizations:

The Belle Isle Conservancy

The Galápagos Conservancy

The Detroit Institute of Arts

Planned Parenthood

Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.pixleyfhauburnhills.com for the Bradshaw family.