Life Lessons From One of My Heroes

This summer, Mark Bradley passed away from cancer. Mark possessed a larger than life presence- he had the look of a GQ model plus charisma. 

I met Mark when I was a student-athlete at Marietta College. He participated in the community fall baseball league while climbing the ladder at Peoples Bank. A former Academic All-American at Ohio University, Mark was usually the best player on the field. In addition, he was the color man for the “Etta Express” baseball games. He and his great friend, Johnny Wharf, would travel from Panama City, FL to Appleton, WI calling the games of their beloved home town team. 

When I returned to Marietta to become an assistant baseball coach, Mark had risen to President of Peoples Bank. I always admired Mark and asked him if I could pick his brain about leadership. We had lunch which sparked a 20 year friendship/mentorship. 

For those of you who knew Mark, I hope this is a reminder of how lucky we were to have had him in our lives. For those of you who didn’t, I wanted to pass along his wisdom. 

Speak Greatness into Others

Somewhere around 2009 I shared with Mark an article titled, Toughness, by Jay Bilas. The article defined toughness in basketball. Mark challenged me to write the baseball corollary. I’ll never forget Mark, still in his business suit, on my beat-up front porch going over his edits. It ended up becoming the first article I ever published. 

In 2015, I began sharing this newsletter. I could always count on a response from Mark. Here are examples of his wit, wisdom and encouragement. 

10/31/16 How to Overcome a Slump: “Great writing, Deego. I will be walking taller today. In a work slump, need some hits. As my first college coach Jerry France used to mutter in the dugout ‘double, double, double.’He hated singles and bunts.”

7/17/17 Four Nuggets Learned Leading Camp: “Special stuff, Deevers. You are on a roll.  Every kid is different, just like adults. Some get it, some won’t.”

12/4/17 Look Good, Feel Good, Play Good: “Well written Deego. Going to work out extra hard tomorrow night and add extra hair gel in the morning.”

1/1/18 Attempting to Define Happiness: “I needed a theme for 2018, a rallying cry of sorts….you just nailed it (in Big Red letters):   GOOD”

1/8/18 Sudden Change- Being Your Best Despite of the Circumstances: “Ice storm = GOOD….gives me a chance to be patient behind the wheel, and drive calmly, instead of driving fast and taking chances. GOOD stuff Deego.”

10/15/18 It Takes a Team: “Best ever. Good work Deego. And, you would have been a great financial planner too. But not as much fun……Yeeuuuussss”

6/25/19 Victim or Thriver: We Always Have a Choice: “Deevers- found this in my files today to make sure I was still calibrated with the Allen Love rule of, ‘tell the truth, tell it early.”

11/18/19 How to Take a Butt Chewing: “2 words: Best Ever.”

8/24/20 Whelp, Get a Better Job: “Thanks for hitting SEND. That message needs shared. Just talked to my family yesterday about whining. Whelp, time to get moving and get to work.”

9/8/20 Doing What the Game (and Life) Demands: “Spot on. Brilliant”

1/25/21 Shoot Your Shot: Thoughts on Andy Reid’s Decision: “I remember what one of my long time mentors told me 25 years ago about ‘gut instinct’….actually instantaneous reasoning. Be GOOD.”

1/17/22 Tom Brady, Man in the Arena: “What you wrote is so good. Best ever. Nice work.” (*This was the last one I published before his passing.*)

The world is full of critics. Mark was the opposite of a critic- he was an encourager. He whispered greatness week after week. 

Handling Failure Like a Pro:

We gathered at a friend’s house to meet up with Mark after he stepped down as President of the bank. We were furious. We wanted blood. All of us were customers and we were ready to take our business elsewhere. 

When Mark arrived he was cool as ever. He explained how things go with high-profile positions- it’s part of the territory. He reminded us of the great people who still worked at the bank. He cared deeply about them. It was grace at its finest. 

Headhunters had begun to reach out to him about leadership positions in other cities. He was clear, he and his family were not moving. He was optimistic things would work out.

Mark continued to walk around with his head held high. He didn’t hide. That’s what happens when your job title or status doesn’t define you. Mark was the husband of Tammi, father of Emmie and Gabby, and a friend to many. He was a pillar of the community; his job title had nothing to do with that. 

Circumstances Don’t Dictate Happiness:

In 2009, Mark and Johnny traveled to Texas for our spring trip. Instead of warm weather, we were met with cold, ice and snow. This was also Mark’s vacation; no golfing this year.

I saw Mark and told him I felt bad: “Are you kidding me, Deego? We found this run down barbeque joint. I didn’t think Wharfy was going to make it out alive. It was the best time.” 

While most people whine and complain about circumstances, Mark found the best in any situation. 

Live Like You are Dying

In Tim McGraw’s classic song, Live Like You are Dying,” he references a man who is diagnosed with terminal cancer. The man is asked what do you do when you get the news? 

“I went skydiving, Rocky Mountain climbing, I went two point seconds on a bull named Fu Manchu.  I loved deeper and I spoke sweeter- I gave forgiveness I’ve been denying. I hope someday you get the chance to live like you were dying.” 

So, in the summer of 2021 when Mark learned he had stage 4 liver cancer what did he do?

He worked.

He golfed.

He cherished Tammi and the girls.

He attended Mass.

He enjoyed friends.

He called the ‘Etta Express’ games.

He worked out. 

The most impressive thing I’ve ever witnessed is how Mark handled his diagnosis.

Mark always lived like he was dying. 

Conclusion:

When Mark passed away he was serving as the President of Magnum Magnetics. I received this text from one its founders, Allen Love:

“It’s a void in so many ways. We had him as a friend so he lives on in us! We are all better for having had his friendship. He always left more wood on the pile than he used. He was so confident in his own skin he needed nothing. He was truly interested in everyone around him.  He cared! He would coach people without even knowing.”

Until writing this, I never fully appreciated his impact on me.  Our interactions were never forced, he was just this authentic, awesome person. Mark changed the way I operated. He was coaching without me knowing. 

His favorite article was: Michael’s Home: Unspoken Parenting Advice From My Late Father. The response below is one I’ll always treasure.

“You hit me right with this one Deego. Lost my dad 8 years ago this month. Thought a lot about him in the past week. Still tough. Always will be. Our fathers helped build us into the people we are and will be. Your impact on others is huge. Keep up the good work. 

MB

P.S. thanks for letting me borrow ‘Emmie’s home!’ Which I yell every time Emmie is home from college. Very Special.”

Mike

PS. I apologize for the length of this email. Honestly, I could have written another 1500 words about Mark. In fact, if you are interested send me a note. I’d love to talk more about the lessons Mark delivered.