Tom Bradbury; 1936-2019

Tom was born June 30, 1936, to Tom and Gladys Bradbury in Denver, CO, and raised in nearby Littleton where his parents farmed and ranched. Young Tom showed steers and clowned at rodeos in high school. He graduated in 1958 from Colorado State University (CSU) with a degree in farm and ranch management.

While at CSU, he met and married Margaret, who has been his faithful and loving wife for 60 years. On their honeymoon, they attended a Quarter Horse sale in Brush, CO, which fueled their lifelong passion for Quarter Horses. The same year, they founded Bradbury Land and Cattle Co. at Byers, CO, where they made their home for 45 years and raised their three girls and one boy. The family continues to own ranches in the area.

The ranch is also where Tom and Margaret put together an elite band of broodmares and bred and raised some of the finest and fastest Quarter Horses in the nation. They have shares in syndicates of elite stallions First Down Dash, Wave Carver, and Teller Cartel. As with their Quarter Horses, the Bradburys also maintain high-quality bloodlines of Hereford and Red Angus cattle.

Tom was inducted into the American Quarter Horse Hall of Fame in 2015 and the Colorado Agriculture Hall of Fame in 2016. He proudly served on the Executive Committee of the National Western Stock Show (NWSS) for decades, and also served in leadership roles on several committees including the Executive Livestock Committee, Classification Committee, Jr. Show Committee and Yards Committee, to mention a few. Tom was director emeritus of the NWSS Board of Directors. Tom was additionally a CSU Distinguished Alumni Award recipient and was a passionate supporter of CSU.

He served on various boards, both locally and nationally, for over 50 years. He was compassionate towards youth and tried to encourage them to better themselves. Just as he aimed for continuous improvement on his ranches and his businesses, he strived to make his local community and the ag world better. Tom was a well-known Colorado rancher, horseman, and businessman who impacted nearly every person he met. He loved the Denver Broncos, was the most loyal of friend, and wanted to have the best ranches and fastest Quarter Horses possible.

Tom was preceded in death by his parents, Thomas and Gladys, and his daughter, Pamela, and grandson, Drew. He is survived by his wife, Margaret; his children, Suzie, Tom (Penny), Lisa (Mark), and son-in-law, Allen; and 13 grandchildren and 1 great grandchild. Services were held Jan. 15 at the Cherry Hills Community Church Chapel, Highlands Ranch, CO.