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Stanley John Bradford passed away peacefully on September 14, 2022 after a short but hard-fought battle with Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma. Stan the Man, as many affectionately called him, was born in Portales, New Mexico, on September 30, 1943, to J.D. and Callie Bradford. Their fifth and final child, he loved and admired his siblings.

The family moved to Granby, MO, where Stan attended school and was nick-named Long John on the High School basketball team. Stan graduated in 1961, and then joined the Air Force, serving for four years. His service took him to South Korea, and introduced him to technology, which would prove to be a lifelong passion. Stan went to work for IBM in St. Joseph, MO, in the late 1960s, and worked there for over 25 years, becoming known to many as Mr. IBM. Upon retiring from IBM, he founded Stan Bradford & Associates, a computer consulting and repair business, where he continued to serve his clients.

Stan was a dedicated father, raising three children from his first marriage - Nicole, Jeffrey, and Sonya - on his beloved farm property south of St. Joseph. When not working or taking care of his kids, he was farming and raising cattle, chickens, pigs, and even a pet turkey. Stan met the love of his life, Kimberly Kinder, at church in 1972. Stan served as the first divorced ordained deacon at Wyatt Park Baptist at the time. They married in 1973 and enjoyed a wonderful 49 years of marriage full of respect, love, and a healthy dose of teasing. In 1982 after many prayers, they were blessed with his only green-eyed child, Bethany, and surprised a few months later to find out they were having another daughter, Breeann, who was born just 14 months later in 1983. Around the same time, Stan and Kim built their dream  home on their 29 acres; a home he was still living in and caring for at the time of his death. Stan took pride in his large gardens, always producing enough to share with others. Having such a large family, Stan had plenty of free labor to help him with the garden, and he always took advantage of it.

Stan became a grandfather in 1985, with the birth of Ashley, now a Registered Nurse who assisted in his care during his final weeks at Mosaic. She was a Godsend to her grandpa and the family. Stan was proud of all his children and grandchildren, and one of the last pictures we have of him smiling was when Ashley visited him early one morning. Stan went on to have 16 grandchildren and 10 great grandchildren, with another one due in a matter of weeks. Stan enjoyed coaching summer softball for Bethany,  Breeann, and their many friends, whom he referred to as turkeys. Stan attended as many sporting events, recitals, and programs as he could for all his children and grandchildren. His encouragement and pride were always very apparent.

Stan and Kim enjoyed camping and traveling, visiting many places over the years. Some of Stan's favorite destinations included Alaska, Israel, Canada, and both coastlines. They also enjoyed being members of the Midwest Camping Club. Stan and Kim met many lifetime friends through the club, and always looked forward to their trips. Stan was a dedicated friend to many throughout the years, always willing to help anyone, any way he could. Recently, while driving late in the evening, Stan noticed two young ladies stranded on the side of the highway. He took them to a gas station and bought them the gas they needed, as well a hot meal and made sure to let their mom know they were safe.

There is so much more to write about this old Turkey we all loved so much, but we could be here all day. Stan was preceded in death by his parents; his siblings Bernice Augustine and Mary Lou Arnall. He is survived by his wife Kimberly, children Nicole (Kevin) Langton, Jeffery (Angela) Bradford, Sonya (Randall) Varner, Bethany (Scott) Riley, and Breeann (Kevin) Bennett, siblings Juanice Morgan and Roy Lee Bradford, his grandchildren, great grandchildren, numerous loving cousins, distant relatives, and friends.

Funeral service with Live Streaming 10:00 AM Tuesday at Heaton-Bowman-Smith & Sidenfaden Chapel.  Interment with Full Military Honors will follow at Memorial Park Cemetery.

The family will receive friends 6:00 - 8:00 PM Monday evening also at our Chapel.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to one of the following charitable organizations:  St. Joseph Habitat for Humanity ( www.stjoehabitat.org ) or Heifer International ( www.heifer.org ). Additionally, for years Stan donated both blood and platelets, and during his battle he needed both. Please consider a donation in his honor to help others.