Bradley Desch

Brad’s road was long and difficult, yet he traveled it with strength and grace. He battled leukemia, lymphoma and other complications after his bone-marrow transplant on Valentine’s Day in 2019. He was a true warrior. He fought hard. On Nov. 25, closely surrounded by the family he loved, he lost his battle. We are all heartbroken.

As one person wrote on his Battle Like Brad page, “he was loved by so many. He truly impacted our lives for the positive. He will never be forgotten. He fought bravely and his conviction was strong. He can now rest without pain, but our hearts will never be the same. Brad was such an amazing person.”

Another friend wrote, “I am so thankful that I was lucky to be able to know and call Brad a friend. He was such a wonderful, genuine person. Brad will always be one of the sweetest and funniest people I have been blessed to know.”

“Heaven gained an amazing angel,” another wrote. “Brad was so loved. He was such a blessing to all his friends and family. He was one of the most kind-hearted people I’ve ever met and have had the joy of having him in my life and calling him a friend. He was one in a million. He was such an awesome soul and we will miss his contagious smile.”

He was smart, witty, loving, caring, funny, and an amazing person.

His niece wrote this for him; “I want you to remember you’ll never be alone, I promise you. We have never left each other's side through this hard time, and I am so thankful for that. I’m so happy I got to grow up with you, with you kidnapping me every other day to go to lunch, you teaching me how to drive and being there for every birthday throughout the years and being there for the big things that happened and all my next big chapters in life. Not even death can break the bond we had, you were the most amazing person in my life. Thank you for being my ray of light in life. Our memories together will keep me going, I feel your presence even though you have gone. I know that your kind soul is in paradise watching over us. You were too well-loved to ever be forgotten.

As his parents, those words make us extremely proud of the son we had for 45 years. The most important things in his life were his family and 16-year-old puppy, Skye.

While he soared to the top in the business world, all he really wanted was a simple life filled with love from friends and family. His dream was to live in an A-Frame home in the countryside.

He loved music and had an outstanding voice, singing “Bring Him Home” while performing for Kids from Wisconsin and playing and singing the role of Joseph in Dudley Birder’s Music Theatre production at St. Norbert College of “Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat.”

We called him Broadway Brad. He truly had the talent to perform in Broadway musicals. Like himself, his voice was one in a million. Today, we’re sure he’s singing in a heavenly choir.

Brad was born Dec. 14, 1977, to Kathy and Larry Desch in Rhinelander. After the family moved to De Pere, he attended Westwood Elementary and West De Pere High School where he also was in a number of school musicals.

He stayed close to home and graduated from St. Norbert College in De Pere in 2000. He moved on to work at American Hotel Register Company in the Chicago area and quickly became national account manager there. Wanting to be near his family, he moved back to De Pere and worked for West Corporation in Appleton where he was training director and business director. He recently began working as client service manager for Fortune Financial with his best friend and fellow St. Norbert graduate. He also worked with his father on The Business News.

He was an amazing son, brother, uncle and friend. We were so lucky to have him and so unlucky to have him leave us so early. He leaves a huge void in our life, but we will always be filled with joy remembering all the wonderful things he did in his time here. He was an incredible person.

Brad is survived by his mother and father, Kathy and Larry Desch, Green Bay; two sisters, Tricia Fullerton (Pat), Little Suamico; Nicole Popp (Eric), De Pere; nieces Marissa and Natalie Popp; Maddie and Ava Fullerton; and nephews Hayden Fullerton and Trey Popp. He’s also survived by numerous aunts, uncles, cousins and friends.

He was preceded in death by maternal grandparents William and Dawn Schillings; uncle Thomas Schillings; aunt Lynne (Schillings) Mehlberg; and paternal grandparents Raymond and Caroline Desch.

It will be unbelievably hard to live in a world without Brad.

If roses grow in heaven,

please pick a bunch for us.

Plant them in our son’s arms,

and tell him they’re from mom and dad.

Tell him we love him and miss him,

and when he turns to smile,

Place a kiss upon his cheek

and hold him for a while.

Remembering him is easy,

We do it every day.

But there is an ache within our hearts

that will never go away.

A celebration of Brad’s life will be held Friday, Dec. 8 from 3 to 7 p.m. at the Bemis Center at St. Norbert College.