Harlan H.

Bradt

Harlan H. "Buck" Bradt, age 96, passed away peacefully at home June 18, 2018 in Cottage Grove, WI. He was preceded in death by his parents, Harriet and Harlan Bradt; his sisters , Elizabeth (Frederic ) T aylor, Harriet Oestreicher , Eli nor (Stanley) Dunn, nep hew Paul Oestrei cher , his first wife, Marjorie Mahon , and sadly, almost all of his relatives and contemporaries.  That's the price, apparently, for living such a long, good life.

H arley w ouldn't approve of this obituary. He was from a time and age where one didn't brag about his accomplishments or boast of his successes.  It was a time when o ne was humble and self-reliant, thrifty and dignified , resilient and private .  "You make your own conditions," Harley would often say . That describes the greatest generation to a tee. But now that generation is fading away. And the nation is poorer for it. It was this generation that truly made America great.

So , so rry, Dad, I'll try to keep this short. Harley was born March 7, 1922 in Larchmont, NY . His mother , Harriet, was a UW-Madison grad, something quite unusual in 1912. It was at the UW that she met Harlan senior. Harley's fathe r was a mining engineer; consequently, their family moved frequently . As a teenager, young Harlan worked at the famous Haile Gold Mine in South Carolina that his father had re-opened. He was in Florida when his father helped build the Tampa- St. Petersburg causewa y and just outside Palm Springs, CA when his father opened the massive Iron Chief mine. They lived in England for two years as his sister rec overed from countless surgeries and procedures to alleviate a serious birth defect. He later attended the August a Military Academy in Virginia for two year s before moving to Pasade na, CA. After high school, he worked at Lockhe ed Aircraft Co. and then e nlisted in the Naval reserves where his mechanical skills would serve him well as World War II approached . He later moved to Palo Alto, CA and worked at Pan Am, both as a mechanic and liaison, shuttling Army officer s, etc. to the Pacific theater. It was at Pan Am that Harley discovered and honed his s kills at overbooking flights. (So t he next t ime you're bumped, be sure to say thanks!)

Harley met Marjor ie , who was an assistant to the dean at Stanford University , in 1943 . They married in 1945 and lived in New York, Montreal and Longview , TX before settling in Lake Mills on a small farm. In 1960, the y b ought the "family" farm— now East Mills Estate s and the LM Industrial Park—from his Uncle Lynn Fa ville and raised four children. Besides running the farm, Harley also began work ing construction. He was a fast learner and a natural leader so he quickly rose up the ranks. Harley was c arpenter boss/general foreman on many buildings in the area including the first Union South, The Earth & Space building and Helen C. White library on the UW campus to name a few . If you wanted the job to get done ahead of schedule and under budget, you called Hummin ' Harley.  He was tough but fair and he made sure you earned your wages. But after a good week, he would often let the crews off on Friday afternoons with pay and usually buy the first case of beer as well . And, d espite being "management," for years he was also the district rep for the carpenters union. H arley may have been blunt and assertive, but he always had your back. You wanted him on your side.

In 1979, the farm ing operation moved to Fort Atkinson where Harley and h is sons built one of the largest cattle fe eding operations in the state. Uniquely, t he cattle were fed nothing but by-products and recycle d food waste. Harley was ahead of his time—he was always thinking outside the box. Over the next eleven years, t housands of head of cattle were fattened on by-products reclaimed from The Larsen & Libby companies, Frito-Lay, Gardner bakery, Kikkomen So y Sauce and Ladish Malt among others .

By 1989, Harley's two indentured servants—his sons—were bored. They sold the farm, bought land in Cottage Grove and built Door Creek and The Farm golf courses.  Harley didn't know anything about golf but that didn't stop him offering his opini ons.  (In fact, he possessed that rare st of abilities to argue both sides of any issue or problem with equal enthusiasm ! ) Regardless, the challenge s were embraced and conquered. In 1993, he became an owner/partner in Coo lwater Farms in Cambridge, WI .— an aquaculture opera tion that specializes in growing yellow perch. Again, he was ahead of his time. Also, Harley rekindled his childhood passion for rais ing racing pigeons. ( It seemed he liked to dabble in all of the major food groups ) . Training and b reeding his birds was a hobby he enjoyed almost to the very end.

Harley was a good man who had a good life . Tough, smart, outspoken and independent, he lived his life on his own terms. Not everybody gets that chance. Harley had a quick trigger but that was countered by a great sense of humor and a sense of fairness . He could be a pain at times and you may no t have always agreed with him, b ut you certainly would never forget him . He was one of a kind.

The last time w e spoke, he wanted to be sure to thank all those who made hi s life such an exciting journey.

And, most importantly, he wanted to be sure that Gretchen , his wife and confidant for over 30 years, once again heard how much he loved her and how much he appreciated all that she did for him. They were, indeed, partners. Gretchen, from all of us who knew and loved Harley, thanks so much for everything. G od bless you.

Harley was also survived by his four children— Philip (Lorraine), Jim ( Sandie ), Doug (Patty), Nancy ( Laury ); Gretchen's two daughters—Sherry & Laura (Todd); nephews & nieces — Suze , Trish, Mary, John & Stan ; grandchildren—Ginger (Josh), Gus, Emily, Natalie (Jordan) & David; great-grandchildren— Gibby , Ruby & Pierce. A tip of the hat to Jane, J anet, David and to all those who will forever remember him as the wonderful Uncle Buck.

There will be a service at the Rock Lake Cemetery, Thursday, June 21 st at 11am followed by food and drinks at Doug and Patty's, N6795 Sunset Road in Lake Mills. All are welcomed.

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