Paul William Bradford, BFA

Graduate [1980s] of the Museum School at

The MFA from a joint program, with

Tufts University, Medford, MA

Paul William Bradford [formerly Murphy], born December 17, 1928, in Waltham, MA, passed away peacefully, in his sleep, at home in Somerville, with family at his side, early morning of Thanksgiving Day, November 24, 2022. He would have been 94 next month, December 23, 2022.

Paul began his life in Roslindale, MA ,then, Charlestown, MA, later, Somerville, MA. Joining the Navy, he served in the Armed Services at the end of WW II, in the Navy, stationed in Washington, DC, from 1945-1947, with an Honorable Discharge. After the service, he pursued the arts attending the Vesper George School of Art for Sign Painting on St. Botolph St. in Boston, later attending the Boston Museum School, but graduated later.

He has always been a sensitive, devoted and loving person to his family and to all that have known him, and has been married twice, secondly to Carol [Dikmak] Bradford, his wife of sixty-five years. All of his life he has been employed as a pictoral artist, painted, studied art, and created wonderfully varied themes of art. He was a successful commercial artist, abstract painter on canvas with oils and crayon. He could create with his hand ancient Elizabethan-English style print. His lettering was seen on storefronts and road billboards. Later he grew by creating digital art on the computer.

He has had many art presentations, at The UU Church in Medford, MA, libraries, at the Museum School at the MFA, at the 1794 Meeting House in New Salem, MA, also at the Somerville Armory. While living in New Jersey, his job was working in a cold, large hangar, painting the gigantic balloons [Giant Balloon Company, Elizabeth, NJ] featured at the well-known Macy’s Day Parade and other parades. He was employed at W & J Sloane Department Store. There, he sold furniture to Xavier Cugat and his wife Abby Lane. At the time, Paul had an art shop at Elizabeth, NJ, and the monthly rent was $10.00!

Later, in Massachusetts, returning in the early 1960s he worked for Ackerley Communications, also in a similar type of airplane hangar, designing and preparing the large iconic advertising billboards, frequently seen on highways. Lady Bird Johnson created many problems opposing these billboards, and as a result, many companies folded, along with good artists who lost their jobs. He also, created a schematic, along with Ackerley painters, who designed and installed a large painting on a wall on Newbury Street, Boston, featuring famous, historic citizens. Unfortunately, it does not exist today, a sin against Boston’s great history. This painting included many of Boston’s historically famous characters. For ten years he was Supervisor of the Sign Shop at Filene’s Department Store.

He has been a true Sagittarian, interested in sports, very active and healthy physically. He won two golf awards, and enjoyed playing with his daughter Lori and son in law, Ron. For the last several years of his life he exercised twice a week at the YMCA in Somerville, walking each day, sometimes in inclement weather. He watched his diet very carefully. Medical staff are always surprised that he is so healthy at an age over 90, in which many seniors are not. He never has had medical operations, except for the removal of his appendix and one hip operation.

Paul enjoys a vast collection of books, VHS tapes, DVDs, films, and an obits catalog-collection of well-known traditional Jazz Artists from earlier decades of the 20th and 21st centuries, especially a full collection of Frank Sinatra’s works. His passions were music, creative photography, playing the trumpet with lessons from Berklee’s Jeff Stout.

Paul met his wife Carol at the Gillette Company in the mid-1950s. He was a Commercial artist, and Carol was a secretary at the Export Advertising Dept., with all correspondence in Spanish which she had already studied. Gillette did business publicity in Central & South America.

They married, moved to the New York/New Jersey area. There he worked in Manhattan for Nielsen Media, along with freelance projects. He also sold original artworks in The Greenwich Village Festival. While living in New Jersey, he worked for New York’s Macy’s, painting very large balloons for the Macy’s holiday parades. .During their stay in New Jersey, he had a small studio/store in New Jersey for only $10 rent a month.

Paul was gifted with a talent devoted to art, both in his life and in his positions as a pictoral artist. A BFA degree was given when he graduated from the Joint MFA-Tufts University in the latter 1980s. .He was a gentleman, quiet, well-dressed, and a man of taste. He owned two businesses, Bradford Arts, in Stoughton and Somerville, MA

Returning to Boston in the early 1950s and lived in Boston. Paul was employed at The United Fruit Company. The historic Avatar underground newspaper in Fort Hill, Roxbury, contained an early article along with artwork by and about Paul. This was the first dissident paper before The Phoenix. Later, he was the Supervisor of the Sign Shop at Filene’s several of Filene’s Department Store. After graduation he taught at the Hyde Park Academy in Hyde Park, MA and artistically decorated the school’s interior. He was a pictorial artist at Ackerley Communication’s billboards, retiring in 1994.

As a true family man, Parkinson’s Disease determined his final days. He was cared for by his younger daughter, who became a caretaker. She gave up her life during this time.

Paul leaves three children from his first, early marriage, two deceased brothers: James Murphy and William Murphy. Living: Paul, Jr.,& his wife, Jeanne Murphy of Plymouth, and her late husband, Gary Cardinal, Thomas Murphy of Middleboro, Jean-Marie Cardinal of Plymouth, & Thomas Murphy of Middleboro, MA. Paul has several grandchildren and great-grandchildren in Plymouth, also many nieces and nephews. He also lost his own mother at the early age of five. He had a good step-mom, Marion Murphy, deceased

He leaves two daughters: Paula M. Sawyer and her husband Ronald Sawyer of Ipswich, Ma. also Lorraine (Lori) Bradford. Murphy. He also leaves several sisters, Helen Dahlgren of Hazlet, NJ. and her family, New Jersey., Carol Murphy of Malden, MA, and a deceased sister, Marguerite Maher, also two deceased brothers, Harry Murphy and Jim Murphy, also a beloved deceased sister, Lorraine Murphy. Lorraine was stricken since childhood with Gran Mal, a dreadful disease. Paul was very good to her, visiting her often at the institution where she lived. He leaves Murphy-Cannata nieces & nephews and a loving sister in law, Christine (Cannata) Murphy.

Art was a pleasure, but his family was his first love. He enjoyed teaching his daughters his values, and they became talented in art, also. He strongly influenced his wife Carol to “Observe and Record.” As a result she became a writer, publishing two books and poems. Visiting them from a distance was difficult during later years.. But he always cared for and loved all of his children and grandchildren. He was a beloved husband and father. Children from his 1st marriage: Paul, Jr. & wife Jeannette M., Thomas M., Jeanne Marie M. and another son, deceased, Billy M.

During his mid-90s, he had a mild form of PD. During this time his daughter Lori did a major job of caretaking him. He had memory, humor, and earlier could beat her in a game of chess!

Paul is a direct descendant of Rene LeBlanc, of Canada, who is mentioned in Longfellow’s poem, Evangeline. His Canadian family had a home in Cape Breton, NS. The Bradford family has a photo of their ancestors’ home there. Genealogical records go back to Canada, Ireland, and Caen, France. There is an Italian ancestor through DNA. We haven’t yet completed his family tree.

Paul and Carol, for professional reasons, his artworks and Carol’s Mayflower ancestors, and her published writings, professionally changed their surname from Murphy to Bradford. They have lived in Boston, West New York, NJ, Hyde Park, MA, Jamaica Plain, Plymouth, Athol, Orange, and since 2012, Somerville, MA. He will be at Story Chapel in Mount Auburn Cemetery.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Paul’s memory to the Michael J. Fox Foundation – seeking a cure for Parkinson’s Disease. Link: www.michaeljfox.org. Michael is also afflicted with PD.

Services will be held privately by The Church of the Advent at the foot of Beacon Hill, Boston, and burial will be at Story Chapel in Mount Auburn Cemetery, Cambridge, MA.

A Celebration of his Life may be planned later to honor Paul.