Carl "Rocky" Joseph Bradford

 Carl “Rocky” Joseph Bradford, 54, of Columbus, Ohio, passed away in his sleep on November 20, 2021, in St. Charles, Illinois.  

Rocky was born June 22, 1967, in Raleigh, North Carolina, to Carl and Mayme (Hobbs) Bradford. He grew up in Tinley Park, Illinois and attended Tinley Park High School (1981-1983) and Oswego High School (1983-1985) in Oswego, Illinois.  He continued his education at Illinois State University in Normal, Illinois, graduating in June 1989 with a Bachelor of Science in Biology. 

 His first place of employment after graduation was at Abbott Labs, where he enjoyed working with the PSA (prostate-specific antigen) research team contributing to researching the cure for prostate cancer.  He was a true scientist at heart and enjoyed creating his own chemical experiments, was an avid reader, loved educating others with the knowledge he acquired and took a light hearted approach to life with his witty sense of humor. 

He is survived by his son, Cole Bradford of Hillsboro, Ohio; former-wife Toni Bogard of Hillsboro, Ohio; father, Carl Bradford of Columbus, Ohio; mother, May Bradford of Sachse, Texas; siblings, Evon Bowgren (Bob) of St. Charles, Illinois; Kimberly Bradford of Columbus, Ohio; nephew Conner Bradford of Pickerington, Ohio; niece Ella Bowgren of St. Charles, Illinois; and numerous aunts, uncles, cousins and friends. 

He was preceded in death by his sister, Wanda Bradford. 

Memorial visitation will be held on Thursday, December 9, 2024851 from 3:00 pm to 7:00 pm with eulogy starting at 6:00 pm at Sanctuary Church, 1S430 Wenmoth Rd, Batavia, IL 60510.  Interment will be Monday, December 13, 2021 at 1:00 pm at Hillcrest Cemetery in Newton Grove, North Carolina.