More on KentOnline
More on KentOnline
Home Canterbury News Article
A widow has paid a moving tribute to her "amazing" husband and business partner following his sudden death.
Bradley McManus, from Canterbury, died last week, prompting an outpouring of heartfelt messages from friends and colleagues across Kent.
The 32-year-old grew up in Deal, and attended Sir Roger Manwood's grammar school in Sandwich, where he met childhood sweetheart Amy.
The pair later married and moved to Chartham, near Canterbury, where they together established their hugely successful business AM Marketing.
This week, Amy shared the tragic news that "the love of her life" had died.
Writing on LinkedIn, she said: "I cannot believe I am writing this post. I keep hoping I’m going to wake up and it will all be a bad nightmare.
"Last week my dear husband and business partner Bradley passed away.
"Bradley was an amazing person who everyone loved. His quirky sense of humour, loving nature, and dedication to his family and business will forever be remembered by all who knew and loved him.
"We built our business together from nothing. We started in a tiny bedroom and grew AM Marketing to the award-winning agency it is today.
"Bradley was the most hard-working and dedicated person I have ever met. He was fiercely loyal, a great teacher, a brilliant manager and was loved by our clients, suppliers and colleagues. His skill and pure natural talent for digital was obvious to all who met him. There wasn’t a single Excel spreadsheet he couldn’t crack.
"It goes without saying that the world has been deprived of a loving husband, hugely talented partner, funny, intelligent and genuinely decent human being.
"To my darling Bradley. You are the love of my life. I pray that you are at peace surrounded by love."
Amy has launched a Gofundme page, through which she hopes to raise £2,650 for a memorial bench and a computer science prize to be established in her husband's memory.
The coastline around Bradley's hometown of Deal formed "an important part" of his life. After his brother-in-law Duncan died last year, a memorial bench was sited on Walmer beach as a lasting tribute to him.
"Bradley often visited Duncan’s bench to bring him comfort and memories," said Amy. "I would like to purchase a memorial bench for Bradley so he can be near Duncan always and provide a place of memorial for friends and family to visit along the beach he loved so much."
Amy also hopes to create an academic award in honour of her husband, whom she describes as a "self-confessed nerd and excel spreadsheet lover".
"He could build a computer, fix any software issue, and there wasn’t a single formula he couldn’t crack," she said.
"Brad’s passion for computing was inspired by his father Graham and later nurtured at his school Sir Roger Manwood's, where he and I met as high-school sweethearts. I would like to purchase a cup or shield and create a Bradley McManus award to be awarded to a student each year for excellence in computer science."
Any donations that exceed the target will be given to local mental health charities, which Amy says have helped both her and Bradley during times of need.
News of Bradley's death has prompted an outpouring of heartfelt tributes from Bradley's friends, and from the business community in which he was deeply respected.
Three years ago, he and Amy were recognised with a Triumph Over Adversity award at the Amazon Growing Business Awards, for creating their thriving company despite having been involved in a serious car crash in 2014.
The head-on collision left them both with physical injuries, and struggling with anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorder. But despite this, they built AM Marketing into a hugely successful firm which became a partner of Google and carried out digital marketing campaigns for businesses across Kent.
Becky Simms wrote on LinkedIn: "Brad was such an amazing friend, agency partner and an all-round fantastic guy.
"He always had a smile on his face and always brought a smile to those around him. I still have not quite got over the shock and reality of this, but am so grateful to have known Brad and to have the wonderful memories we have."
Dom Bridges added: "Amazing guy - full of optimism. People like him might move on but they don’t ever fade - they leave behind too much love."
To donate, visit the Gofundme page.
