Meredith Bradford Obituary – Truro, MA (1944-2024)

Meredith Bradford died on April 13, 2024 at home in Truro, MA of anorexia and cachexia related to cancer. He was 80 years old. Born in Boston to Dr. Martin L. Bradford and Alice “Tommy” Bradford (Thomsen), Meredith (“Merry”) grew up in Sharon, MA, the second of five children. She graduated from Sharon HS (Class of ’62) as a scholar, athlete and cheerleading captain. After graduating from Cornell University (class of ’66), Meredith drove to California in his VW bug, staying there for the next 30 years. A true hippie free spirit and staunch Vietnam War protester, she attended countless free rock concerts of the era, including the legendary Monterey Pop Festival in 1967. Meredith was the first wife of Art Mitchell (d. 1991) of the Mitchell brothers. Film Group and the O’Farrell Theater in San Francisco’s Tenderloin. They had three children together. After divorcing, Meredith earned her law degree from John F. Kennedy University in the East Bay, passing the bar in 1980. Employed by renowned San Francisco attorney Melvin Belli, she later established her own practice to adapt better to her reality as a single mother. Throughout her legal career, she notably worked on many of the Mitchell Brothers’ First Amendment cases (filing cases in the US Supreme Court and arguing before the CA Supreme Court) and won a controversial ruling against the Los County Sheriff’s Department Angeles. Meredith moved to Truro in 1998. Her greatest joys were being a grandmother and attending annual blues festivals in Maine and New Hampshire with her Aunt Judy. Through her niche Etsy site, Zesty Wear, she has sold over 1,000 custom blue beach jumpsuits (as worn by Sean Connery in Goldfinger). Meredith will be remembered for her wicked sense of humor, her deep love of animals, and as a staunch defender of progressive politics, always condemning the culture of corporate greed that hastened the decline of the middle class during her lifetime. Meredith is survived by her children: Liberty Bradford (Barry Caldwell) of Los Angeles, Storm Bradford of Marin, CA and Mariah Bradford (Andy Kirk) of Walnut Creek, CA. Preceded in death by her parents and sister Jennifer Clark (Beau) of Rochester, NY and Truro, MA, she is also survived by her aunt Judith Bemis (Kingfield, ME), brother Mark Bradford (Carole) of Oyster Bay, NY, sister Prudence Hay (Jon) of Wellesley, MA, sister Beth Bradford of Sandwich, MA, adopted child Jasmine Mitchell of Sonoma, CA, adopted child Caleb Mitchell of Martinez, CA, her beloved grandchildren and step-grandchildren (Saoirse, Gavin, Dagny , Ryder, Fisher, Natalie, Camilla and Keanu), dozens of nieces, nephews and cousins, a deep bank of friends and her devoted cats, Miffy and Monkey. A private celebration of life will be held in the Bay Area in the fall. Donations in Meredith’s memory may be made to: The Women’s Healthcare Initiative Research (Cancer Anorexia Cachexia Syndrome) Children’s Charities International Alcoholics Anonymous (General Service Office) Sharon High School Boosters ( Sharon, MA) The Local Journalism Project (Provincetown Independent)