Bradley John was born on March 12, 1959 in Owen Sound to parents Ken and Iris (Brown) McMeekin. In time Brad was joined by his younger sister, Anne. He attended public and high school in Owen Sound before heading off to London and Fanshawe College. Here he furthered his education and eventually obtained his tickets as both a machinist and millwright.
In time, Brad began working with his dad at the family business, McMeekin Machine & Fabricating. Brad enjoyed working with his hands, particularly with metal, and added new talents through the years. He worked a variety of jobs before applying to Goodyear Canada for a management position. His application was successful and he soon began helping them in the area of design. Once again, Brad enjoyed and excelled at his work.
When not working Brad enjoyed his sports. During his youth he played lacrosse, making a provincial final, in addition to baseball and taking up skiing. If you want to hear a good story about one of his ski adventures just ask Val and the kids about Brad’s wrong turn on his way down a run at Blue Mountain…. let’s just say it involved a face plant! 🙂 Curling was also a favourite past time of Brad’s as he loved spending time at the rink!
From a young age Brad enjoyed helping others. In the early years of the Summerfolk Festival in Owen Sound there was a need, and Brad happily filled it. Who knew then that over 30 years later he would still be helping backstage, enjoying the music and spending time with friends and family. Brad also volunteered his time at the curling rink where he was the head of the ice team in Tara for a number of years. If that was not enough, he also found time to run the annual Tara Legion curling bonspiel and even helped Jeff with the Legion golf tournament in recent years. His family may of said it best, “Brad had a big heart and a lot to offer!”
Brad loved being outdoors and one with nature. He always looked forward to each September whereby he and some buddies would head north to enjoy nature and each other’s company. His backpack was always full of supplies, however he always seemed to make some space for none essential beverages! 🙂 They spent their days enjoying each other’s company while taking time to hike, canoe and fish.
The Brier and Scotties tournaments were always marked on Brad and Val’s calendar. Over the years they attended several of these events, making many new friends along the way. In 2017 they had the trip of a lifetime, heading to St. John’s, Newfoundland to take in the Brier. The stories from this adventure are endless, from the extreme weather (wind) they arrived to and the social in the airport bar, to Brad having a serious heart-to-heart with a gentleman outside a bar on George St. late at night. (apparently Brier Patch tokens aren’t the same a money… just ask Val! 🙂 Brad loved life and was especially happy when he was spending time with his beloved Val.
To say Brad had a fondness for tools might be an understatement. If you needed something he often had the tool for you. He also enjoyed watching a bit of TV, particularly Channel 627….. the space channel of course, and spent countless evenings learning about everything “space” however the discovery channel and Netflix were close seconds. When it came to food Brad was a real “grease monkey” absolutely loving french fries. He loved a good steak dinner which could always be topped off with a crisp, cold Busch beer! His passion for the outdoors was particularly present when you considered his National Geographic magazine collection that he built up over the years. More recently that was replaced by fiction novels, whereby Brad could escape his illness and let his mind wander.
Brad loved spending time with friends and family. Whether that was spending a few minutes catching up with his best buds, whom he had known from the ground up, to working hand and hand with Val with property maintenance on the weekends or spending time with Val’s children and grandchildren. He was a kind, fun loving man who enjoyed everyone’s company. Apparently Brad was not one for gossip, often being upfront with those who tried to spread it. He was also a great debater and maybe just a little stubborn. He would be quick to reiterate to Val that their disagreements were not arguments but instead debates.
Brad and Val were true soulmates. They knew that what they had was very special. Brad was a romantic, often writing poetry for his beloved Val. In fact, as you probably know, Brad operated like clockwork and on one such day he was late and Val began to worry. She went to the window to look outside only to notice his truck parked on the side of the road down the street. When he arrived home she questioned him on the reasoning for this only to find out later that he had stopped to pen her some poetry from his heart…. imagine! There was also the sign he purchased a number of years ago that read, “always kiss me goodnight” a motto we should all try to follow just as he and Val did.
In 2006, Brad became a member of the Millwright Hall and began working during outages at Bruce Power. Over the next twelve years he worked hard and made a number of new friends. Sadly, in January of 2018 Brad was diagnosed with cancer. He and Val both knew that the future did not look bright but this did not stop them from doing everything they could to fight this horrible disease. One of Brad’s last requests was that Val care for him at home as long as she could and that is exactly what she did. Her love for Brad, her husband and best friend, was ever present and displayed daily as she cared and supported him through his illness. In the end he spent a total of one day in hospice care, a testament to Val’s amazing care and support.
Bradley “Ob” John McMeekin of Tara, passed away surrounded by his family at Chapman House, Owen Sound on Tuesday, January 15, 2019 in his 60th year.
Beloved husband and best friend of Val McLean. Brad will be deeply missed by his father, Ken McMeekin of Tara and sister, Anne McMeekin of Collingwood. Loving father to Tanya McLean (Ryan) of Chesley, Jeff (Rebecca) McLean of Dobbinton and Suzie McLean (Mike) of Oliphant. Ob will be sadly missed by Gavin, Dylan, Joel and Taylor. Brad will be fondly remembered by his nephew Nathan, niece Melinda and the many friends he made throughout his life. He was predeceased by his mother Iris and brother-in-law Bob McPhee.
A visitation will be held at the Royal Canadian Legion, Tara (86 River St.) on Saturday, January 26, 2019 from 1 – 3 p.m. with words of remembrance beginning at 3 p.m.
In lieu of flowers, memorial donations to Royal Canadian Legion, Branch 383 (Tara) or Chapman House would be appreciated as expressions of sympathy.
