Deryk M. Bradford

Deryk Mackinley Bradford, age 21, of Hamilton, passed away from a work-related accident while on storm duty in Helena, Arkansas on Tuesday, April 21, 2020. Deryk is survived by his father, Ron Bradford and brother, Dylan Bradford. Deryk was preceded in death by his mother, Brenda Margaret Bradford.

Deryk was born in Hamilton, Ohio on January 4, 1999 to Ron and Brenda (Wolff) Bradford. He attended St. Ann’s Catholic School in Hamilton and went on to graduate from Stephen T. Badin High School in 2017. Deryk was always an athlete. However, playing high school football was his favorite.

After high school, Deryk attended Warren County Career Center to become a Power Line Mechanic. He also earned his Commercial Driver’s License from Butler Technical School. Since November of 2018, Deryk was employed by Bowlin Energy. During this time, he worked in many states helping restore power after natural disasters. Helping others was Deryk’s calling and he worked so hard at it.

Deryk was truly one of a kind. He had a gift to make people laugh. His contagious smile lit up any room. He was considered a friend by so many! As a kind soul, he was always willing to help those in need; from making a new student feel welcome at lunch to offering funds to a stranger - without asking for anything in return. He would give the shirt off his back to anyone in need.

Deryk truly enjoyed adventures. It showed through his traveling to many places with his family and friends. He especially liked Gatlinburg, seeing the sights with his girlfriend, Jennie, and a recent visit to Pittsburgh. He and his family also traveled many places, Arizona, Florida, Cape Cod, Hawaii and many more. Many pictures captured Deryk using the "hang loose" hand signal that he learned while in Hawaii. He also loved four-wheeling with his family and friends.

Deryk and his friends enjoyed mudding in their jeeps and working on their cars together. You could find him competing at the Butler County Fair the last several years in his derby car. The competition was as much fun for him as the time spent with his friends getting their cars ready!

Deryk was a great brother and son, and he was always there for his family. He was known to wear pink socks and pink cleats at football games in support of his mom battling cancer. He also stood by his dad’s side during a recent surgery until the doctors told him everything was okay, and it was late/time for him to go home. When he wasn’t learning a trait from his dad, Deryk would be spending time sharing YOUTUBE videos with his brother, Dylan. He loved watching videos about diesel trucks and all of crazy things people did with them. It brought him so much joy to hear a whistling diesel truck.

Deryk had a love for life like no other. He never took things too seriously and had fun living. He was a loyal friend and a nurturing spirit. We are all better for knowing him.

Funeral services are private by invitation only due to COVID-19 restrictions. People looking to pay their respects are welcomed to join a safe social distance vehicle procession starting at St. Ann’s Catholic Church in Hamilton, Ohio, following the Funeral Mass on Friday May 1, 2020. We welcome everyone to begin lining up for the procession starting at 10:30AM and will then process to the cemetery immediately after Mass. For details, contact Brown Dawson and Flick Funeral Home for details at (513) 895-5412. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to St. Ann’s Catholic School or Badin High School, in memory of Deryk Bradford.