Michael Jenson Bradford was born May 30, 1981, in Elk City, Okla. to Michael Bradford and Glenda Varner. He passed on June 27, 2024, in his home at the age of 43 years and 28 days.
Michael grew up in Elk City, Okla., Liberal, Kan. and Childress,Texas and spent his childhood amongst family members.
Michael was known as “Big Mike” to his friends and “Little Michael” to his family. The man never met a stranger, and he had quite the knack for telling tall tales. He loved making people feel special and safe. Many of his friends were lifelong buddies who were more like family to him.
Michael was known for his love of shiny cars, loud bikes, big trucks, blowing things up and pretty women. Throughout his life he had multiple good dogs, shared a lot of his homemade moonshine and had a solid group of brothers who had his back.
Big Mike was proud to be an “ironass outlaw” as he’d say and of the patches he wore. He didn’t choose the easy path very often, ruffling feathers and going against the grain. You always knew where you stood with him and hoped it was on his good side. He had an absolute heart of gold, and when he loved, he loved big. As tough as he was, he didn’t miss the chance to snuggle a baby or rescue a kitten. Michael had a soft spot for his Granny Fern, Uncle Teedle and Aunt Lisa; the three of them never let him down and gave him a soft place to land time and time again. When he lived in Childress, he could often be found raiding the freezer in the middle of the night for rum balls or eating peanut butter cookies and drinking lemonade at his Granny’s Kitchen Table.
Michael is preceded in death by his father, Mike; grandfather DeWayne; and great-grandparents Wade and Fern Bradford.
He is survived by a large family, notably his Aunt Lisa Neece and husband Bobby, of Elk City, Okla.; his mother, Glenda West, of Paradise, Texas; two uncles, Glenn Bradford and wife Tricia, of Amarillo, Texas, and Kevin Bradford and wife Connie, of Amarillo; grandmother Frances Bradshaw, of Amarillo; sister Micah White and husband Matt, of Canute, Okla.; great-uncle Teedle Sanders and wife Mary, of Childress; multiple cousins; and dear friends he considered his own blood.
Funeral services were held at 2 p.m. Sunday, July 7, 2024, at 210 N. Broadway, Sayre, Okla.
Rest easy. Ride fast.
