Man’s ashes brought home for special service in his native Omagh

A HIGHLY-respected businessman who was born in Omagh and passed away in Canada last year has been remembered at a special service in his native town.

Larry Bradley, a local man who made his money as an entrepreneur in Ottawa, passed away peacefully in May 2024 at the age of 75.

Mr Bradley’s ashes were brought home from Canada for the recent service at Sacred Heart Church in Omagh, which offered local family members and friends of the popular local man a chance to pay their respects almost one year on from his passing.

Having grown up in Gortmore, Omagh in the 1960s, Mr Bradley was a keen sportsman, having competed in football, basketball and boxing throughout his youth.

In the early 1970s, he moved to the USA and a short time later to Canada where he met his beloved wife Michelle with whom he had three children – Shauna, Michael and Kristen.

After arriving in the Canadian capital, the Omagh man’s working life included a variety of odd jobs, from construction to bartending to bouncing.

However, unsatisfied with the thought of a life of remunerated subservience, eternally answering to the orders of others, Mr Bradley struck out alone in 1982, co-founding Bradley-Kelly Construction, the capital from which he used to finance his dream of opening an Irish pub.

After firmly establishing his empire, Mr Bradley’s attention began to turn towards the land he had left behind in the early 1970s.

Regular visits became a routine that remained a part of his life until illness eventually made it impossible.

While back in his beloved Omagh, he would rejoice in the company of his family, see his many old friends, and revisit places that held memories of his younger years.

As well as giving his time with people he cared about, he also expressed his love for his hometown through kind and frequent donations to local community groups.

Some of the beneficiaries of his philanthropic streak included Omagh’s Tara Centre and Omagh Boys and Girls Youth Club, to whom he gifted $10,000 dollars in 2021.

The same reputation that in life preceded Larry both sides of the Atlantic has with his passing now become his legacy.