Marvin "Marv" Lavern Bradley

Long-time Canon City resident Marvin “Marv” Bradley, 83, passed away on Saturday, May 21, 2022 after a brief battle with cancer. Marv was born March 26, 1939, in Dyersville, Iowa, the only child of Donald and Pearl Bradley.

He had many talents and held a wide variety of jobs including musician, singer, disc jockey, radio announcer, radio station manager, restaurant owner, and Executive Director of the Independence, Iowa Chamber of Commerce. He served in the US Army from 1961 to 1964. In 1972, he moved to Canon City to serve as the Executive Director of the Greater Canon City Chamber of Commerce. He later became the Development Director of St. Thomas More Hospital and then the Marketing Director at Fremont National Bank. He valued the importance of community, and he was actively involved in many civic organizations such as the Jaycees and the Rotary Club. As his children were growing up, Marv supported the Canon City Swim Team, coached Little League and Babe Ruth baseball, and was part of the Tiger Pride Booster Club. 

Marv was a strong proponent of education. He founded and was president of the Professional Institute Broadcast School in Iowa from 1967 to 1970. After moving to Colorado, he received a bachelor’s degree from the University of Southern Colorado (now CSU Pueblo) and an MBA from the University of Colorado in Colorado Springs. He was instrumental in bringing the Pueblo Community College (PCC) campus to Canon City, and he taught business classes at PCC in the 1980s. Marv was inducted into the PCC Foundation’s Fremont Hall of Fame in 2009.

At the age of 50, Marv took up running. He could often be seen running on the streets of Canon City, along the Arkansas Riverwalk, or on nearby mountain trails. He successfully completed an ultra-marathon in all 50 states, a marathon in every state (six times), a half-marathon in every state, and a 10-K and 5-K in 49 of the 50 states. He completed races such as the Boston Marathon, the Pikes Peak Marathon (in which he won his age group), the Leadville 100-mile race (twice), and the original marathon route from Marathon to Athens, Greece. In total, he ran over 400 marathons or ultra-marathons, the last being in 2019 when he was 80.

Marv was a man who loved life and cared deeply for his family, friends, and community. He is survived by his children Charlotte Leonard, Owen (Kathy) Bradley, Sonja (Kelly) McKibbin, and Kristina Bradley (Travis Thompson); his partner Linda Beermann; eleven grandchildren; and six great-grandchildren.

Celebration of Life service will be held at 1:30pm, Saturday, June 25, 2022 at The Abbey Event Center, Canon City, CO.  Arrangements entrusted to Harwood Funeral Home.  Condolences at Harwoodfunerals.com.

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