April 4, 1995 - June 14, 2023

Bradley R. Hamilton of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, a beloved son, brother, uncle, and fiancé passed away unexpectedly on June 14, 2023, at the age of 28. Born on April 4, 1995 in Bristol, Pennsylvania, he was the cherished son of Robert A. Hamilton, Jr. and Kathryn Sepulveda-Canning and the baby brother of Rachael and Robert III. In 2009, he gained a step-father, Thomas Canning, who would be become a great mentor to him and one of his most trusted advisors. In 2011, he became an uncle to Anderson, whom he regarded as his best friend. Their bond was simply unparalleled. Two years later he became an uncle again to Adelynn, who was the apple of his eye…his “Finny”…and as he would say, the smartest baby girl in the whole wide world. His niece and nephew brought him immense joy and he was most proud of them.

Bradley’s life was dedicated to the service of others. He was always fighting for the underdog, he was a warrior for social justice, and a champion for human rights. He knew that every human being on this earth deserved the right to exist fully, equally, and authentically and he put his money where his mouth was to defend these truths. In his early twenties he began working polls, canvassing, and regularly attending marches and rallies. In the face of great adversity, he never once backed down on his beliefs or core values. In addition to this work, he participated in and organized a grassroots initiative focused on feeding homeless residents of the Philadelphia’s Kensington section. We found out about this project and his “boots on the ground” contributions within the organization posthumously, which made us equal parts sad and proud. Bradley wanted to change the world and his commitment to that was most often reflected in deeds he did completely in the dark. That was our Bradley! Over the last year he also mentored and tutored at-risk youth from Philadelphia who were interested in pursuing careers in systems engineering. Bradley’s life was an embodiment of these dynamic words gifted to us by Ruth Bader Ginsburg, “Whatever you choose to do, leave tracks. That means don’t do it just for yourself. You will want to leave the world a little better for your having lived.”

Bradley was a 2013 graduate of Notre Dame High School in Lawrenceville, NJ and a 2017 graduate of Penn State University at University Park. In high school and college Bradley had several amazing opportunities to study abroad in Germany, which he thankfully seized. It was during his time at The Philipp University of Marburg in Germany that he met his would-be fiancée, Lindsay Kay McElhatten. Bradley and Lindsey spent many beautiful years together and delighted in their shared interests of all things German (and especially the German language, in which they were both fluent!), music, world travel, city life, and social justice solutions. Bradley was Lindsey’s biggest cheerleader and saw her through three years of law school where she successfully completed her Juris Doctor degree and swiftly passed the Bar Exam with flying colors. Bradley was most proud of Lindsey for these two achievements, but more specifically he was most proud of her as a human being. Bradley’s greatest pastimes included spending time with Lindsey and his family, spending time with his dog Tiger and cat Cami, cars, homecooked meals (especially Thanksgiving and Easter), European beers, gaming, and Legos.

Most recently, Bradley worked as an engineer at Comcast corporate headquarters in Philadelphia. Bereavement sentiments to us from his coworkers included phrases such as “…a cherished and most valued team member,” “he was a good person and my life is better because I had the chance to meet him,” and “…a solid contributor and an even better person.” Bradley was the humblest guy around and would be astounded by such remarks, never suspecting that one person let alone hundreds in his workplace held him in such high regard as a co-worker and more importantly as a friend.

Bradley is survived by his father, Robert A. Hamilton, Jr.; his mother, Kathryn Sepulveda-Canning; his stepfather, Thomas Canning; his sister and lifelong confidant, Rachael Werley; his brother, Robert A. Hamilton III; his nephew, Anderson Werley; his niece, Adelynn Werley; his brother-in-law and dear friend, Jeffry Werley; his fiancée, Lindsey Kay McElhatten; his maternal grandmother, Mary Sepulveda; and many aunts, uncles, and cousins whom he treasured immensely. He is preceded in death by his paternal grandmother, Kathleen A. Hamilton aka Mom-Mom; his paternal grandfather, Robert A. Hamilton, Sr. aka Pop-Pop; his maternal grandfather, Richard D. Sepulveda; and his faithful four-legged companion, Tiger, the sweetest Pitbull rescue dog whose life was forever changed the day Bradley and Lindsey brought him into their home. To this day we smile and wonder who really rescued who - Tiger was an absolute gift to Bradley!

Relatives, friends, and colleagues are invited to attend Bradley’s Celebration of Life at the Wade Funeral Home, 1002 Radcliffe Street, Bristol Borough, PA 19007 on Friday, June 23, 2023 from 9 am – 11 am. A Service will follow at 11 am. Interment will be held at Bristol Cemetery. Flowers may be delivered to Wade Funeral Home at the address above. Donations in Bradley’s memory may be made to:

Lancaster Ave Autonomous Space (LAVA), 4134 Lancaster Ave. Philadelphia, PA 19104 https://lavazone.org/donate/

Mercer Street Friends, 151 Mercer St. Trenton, NJ 08611 https://mercerstreetfriends.org/donate/

Service Details

In Memory of
Bradley R. Hamilton

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