Jesse Norman Bradley, Jr. of Huntsville, passed away at the age of 74 years after a brief battle with pancreatic cancer. Norman was born in Nashville and raised in Huntsville. He attended Vanderbilt where he was a brother of the Kappa Alpha Order and graduated with a BA (English) in ‘67. He then went to the University of Alabama School of Law, where he was an editor for the Alabama Law Review and on the executive council of the Student Bar Association. After graduating with a Juris Doctorate in ‘71, Norman briefly clerked for the Alabama Supreme Court. He spent a great portion of his career working for Legal Aid/Legal Services Alabama as a regional directing attorney in Huntsville. In 1981, he started a private general practice, where he handled family, estate, and criminal cases. Norman served for many years on the Board of Legal Services Alabama and volunteered countless pro bono hours with the Madison County Bar Association volunteer lawyer’s program. His memory will live on in the thousands of clients he helped throughout the course of his career.
Norman attended St. Thomas Episcopal Church, where he served on the vestry, was an usher, and taught children’s Sunday school. An active and involved parent, he was president of the Monte Sano PTA; on the Monte Sano Civic Association Board; and on the Huntsville Youth Symphony Board. In his young adulthood, Norman danced as the Mouse King and Darth Vader in the local ballet. He greatly enjoyed his running group and hiking, and instilled a love of the outdoors in his children.
Norman is preceded in death by his parents, Jesse Norman Bradley, Sr., and Jean Wise Bradley; and his daughter, Rebecca A. Bradley. Survivors include his wife of over thirty-six years, Linda C. Bradley; children, M. Brock Bradley (Emily), of Seattle, Jessica Bradley Wiseman (Matthew) of Memphis, Tess A. Bradley of Knoxville, Gabriel Norman Bradley of Asheville; and beloved grandsons, Miles, Owen, and Jude Bradley of Seattle.
Norman was a true mediator, a man of morals, and a generous, kind, and gentle father and grandfather. He had the heart of a servant and found great satisfaction when helping those who needed it the most. He was intensely intelligent, a voracious reader, and a skilled writer. He loved living and found true wealth in the company of family and friends. He took delight in rooting for the underdog, and always encouraged his children to “reach out” to the overlooked and disadvantaged. Norman’s family and friends considered him to be their own real-life Atticus Finch. A quiet and selfless provider, an advocate, a gentleman and a scholar, Norman will be greatly missed by all those who knew and loved him.
Visitation will be Friday, December 20th from 10 – 11 am at St. Thomas Episcopal in Huntsville. The memorial service will follow at 11am, officiated by Rev. Paul G. Pradat, with a reception in the parish hall immediately after. His cremains will be housed at the Church.
In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to Legal Services Alabama, or to St. Thomas for their Honduras medical mission trip.
