Bradford H. “Brad” Stark passed away December 14, 2015, in Desert Hot Springs, California, after battling a long illness.

Brad was born in Racine, Wisconsin Robert H. and Nancy L. Stark. He was educated in Racine public schools, graduating from J.I. Case High School in 1970.

Seeking to enjoy the full range of experiences that higher education had to offer during the era of bad hair, bell-bottom jeans, and bad apartments, Brad attended a slew of colleges including Carthage College, the University of Wisconsin-Parkside, and the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Then, in a complete turnaround from his hippie ways, Brad decided to enlist in the U.S. Army, where he served three years in the Army Security Agency, learning Russian at the Defense Language Institute in Monterey, California, and serving the bulk of his time in Berlin, Germany. Brad was honorably discharged from the Army in 1976 and, thinking he might have missed something while he was away, returned to the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee for another dose of college life.

In 1978, finally realizing that he had to put a roof over his head, Brad moved to Chicago where he began a brief career in the real estate mortgage industry. In what would be a fortuitous twist of fate, Brad’s real estate career suddenly ended and, in 1980, he began a 24-year career with the Internal Revenue Service, beginning as a Tax Auditor in Chicago, and retiring in 2004 as the Director, Human Resources for the Tax Exempt and Government Entities Division in Washington, D.C.

In 2006, the lure of inexpensive housing and a good Friday night fish-fry became just too much for Brad to resist, so he returned to Racine to be closer to his family. IN 2014 he moved to Desert Hot Springs, California.

Brad is survived by his sisters Elizabeth (Dennis) Homolka and Cynthia Putz (Curtis Heidke), both of Racine and his best friends Edward Haggar of Racine and Marty Lingg of Vancouver, BC, Canada. He is also survived by a gaggle of nephews, great nephews & nieces, and cousins.

Per Brad’s wishes, his cremated remains are to be buried in Southern Wisconsin Veterans Cemetery. Services are private.

Brad’s take-charge personality, and brilliant sense of humor will be cherished and missed, as he dictated his every move down to his own obituary. The moving industry will surely take a hit due to his serial moving habits.

Arrangements by Cremation Society of Illinois, 773-281-5058 or www.cremation-society.com.