Stephen Brad Mcfadden

Today we celebrate the life and legacy of Brad McFadden, the beloved husband of Marie, father of Avril and Alaina, son of Janet and Jeff and Steve, brother of Jennifer, and friend to many.
We are all mourning our loss of Brad right now, but I believe Brad, being the optimistic person he was, would rather us celebrate his life and legacy.
First of all, his love and devotion to his family was exceptional. He loved Marie wholeheartedly and was crazy about Avril and Alaina, his beautiful daughters. Having a passion for learning, Brad tutored his daughters relentlessly in math and thoroughly enjoyed being a husband and father. He was also a loving son, brother, nephew, uncle, and grandson, with everyone in the family having hilarious stories of Brad's humor, wit, and stubbornness.
As we all know, Brad's determination was unmatched. Michael Cottingham tells of a time when Michael and another paraplegic jumped an 8 inch curb and taunted Brad to jump it too, although he was a quadriplegic with less mobility. Although he fell out of his chair the first time and it started raining, Brad continued to try to jump the curb, saying ok you para SOB's you wanted me to jump the curb so you're going to get wet while I jump this curb!! It seems everyone who knew Brad had stories of his humor and his unrelenting drive to do anything he put his mind to. After his diving accident in 1993 at the age of 15, Brad became determined to change the direction of his life, from being wild and reckless to being logical with a sense of purpose. As he adjusted to his new way of life, Brad found purpose and direction in sports and realized that he could inspire others to never give up.
Brad mentored many young athletes to get involved with adaptive sports, and through those relationships, he gave them hope and a will to overcome their limitations. Brad was an exceptional person who will be greatly missed by all of us who knew him. However we can all hold dear the fond memories we have of him and remember his legacy of love, laughter, and determination and that no matter the obstacles we face, we can overcome them together!