Charles "Brad" Bradwell Ish ’68 passed away on May 22 at the age of 67 after being diagnosed with pancreatic cancer just two months prior. He was a beloved grandfather; father, brother, uncle, and friend to many.

Ish was born on June 21, 1946, in Chicago, IL. As a kid, Brad traveled the world with his family due to his father’s work in the oil business. Graduating from high school in Rome, Italy, Brad went on to earn a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Santa Clara University. It was at SCU that Ish met his wife of 27 years, Karen Boggio Ish ’68. Brad and Karen where married in San Diego, Calif. on Dec. 28, 1968 and shortly after they moved to Virginia where Brad enrolled in Officers Candidate School and into the MBA program at George Washington University.

In 1972, Brad began his 42-year career in the wine industry by joining Gallo Wines. Brad spent that last 20+ years of his wine career as a co-owner of the American Beverage Group, a wine import and distribution company based in Petaluma, Calif. In addition to his career in wine, Brad served for 31 years in the United States Navy and raised to the ranking of Captain before retiring in 1997. He also worked as a professor of wine sales and marketing courses at Santa Rosa Junior College.

Although Brad lived all over the world, he always called California home. He loved Northern California and spent the last 25 years of his life in Santa Rosa, Petaluma, Larkspur and most recently South San Francisco, which is where he passed away. Brad enjoyed life to the fullest and loved his family more than anything in the world. He was loved by many because of his kind demeanor and his wonderfully positive attitude. Ish was truly a ray of sunshine and will be deeply missed. His four children, Tina Ish of Burlingame, Calif.; Mark Ish of Austin, Texas; Erik Ish of Phoenix, Ariz., and Stephen Ish of San Mateo, Calif. survive him. His wife, Karen passed away in 1995 of ovarian cancer at the age of 48.