PORTLAND – Bradford Scott Cleaves, 75, passed away on Saturday, Oct. 21, 2023. Born in June 1948, in Weymouth, Mass., Brad is survived by his wife Patricia Latham, his former wife Therese Bilodeau, his son Benjamin, daughter Abigail, her husband Sundip, his grandchildren, Evelyn and Chander, and his many friends and family in Maine and Massachusetts.

Brad graduated from Weymouth High School in 1966. He then earned an AB in Psychology from Harvard University in 1970. After a brief stint working at the Bank of New England, he began working in construction. In 1985 Brad and two partners founded their own general contracting business, D&C Construction. Starting with a single backhoe-loader and an office in the corner of a flood-prone basement, Brad developed the company into a regional general contracting business that completed infrastructure projects ranging from the overhaul of water treatment plants to the installation of wind energy facilities. The company routinely took on projects others would avoid. Many projects aligned with Brad’s commitment to the natural world: separating stormwater drains to protect water bodies, removing dams so fish could spawn, and building recreational paths on Nantucket and along the Charles River. At the helm of D&C, Brad cultivated a tightly knit team where many colleagues and employees saw him as a close friend.

Brad loved nature and the great outdoors, a passion beginning in his youth when he explored the National Parks as an Eagle Scout. He deeply appreciated travel whether it was embarking on an international adventure or spending a day in Casco Bay on his boat, “Anything Goes.” Brad was also an avid gardener, cultivating a large vegetable garden. He was most alive in the fresh air, woods, and out on the ocean.

An accomplished pianist from an early age, Brad enjoyed a deep and lifelong engagement with music. From Mozart to Bob Dylan, Chet Baker to Cole Porter, Brad was always surrounded by music. Above all, he relished an impromptu gathering of family and friends singing showtunes around the piano. He spent many a night entertaining his guests and was known as a skilled and often over-competitive card, dice and board game player.

Brad further applied his many talents in service of the Portland Water District, where he campaigned for and won a Trustee seat. He also served on the Board of Directors for South Shore Savings Bank and the Utility Contractors Association of New England (UCANE).

An amalgam of wit and intelligence, generosity, and a quiet but mischievous vibrancy, Brad will be missed beyond measure.

A memorial reception will be held at Jones, Rich & Barnes Funeral Home at 199 Woodford Street, Portland, on Sunday, Oct. 29, beginning at noon.

Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at http://www.jonesrichandbarnes.com for the Cleaves family.

In lieu of flowers,

the family kindly requests that charitable donations

be made in Brad’s

memory to the:

National Wildlife

Federation

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