HARDWICK – Brad Highberger was a beloved and generous friend, who listened carefully and shared his thoughts respectfully. His dry humor through word play sprinkled smiles through conversations. He was born July 5, 1953, in Michigan. Brad was predeceased by his parents. His only sibling, Kirk Highberger, died of a heart attack in April of 2025.
Spirituality formed Brad’s core values. Introspective life off-grid in rural Alaska as a young adult and eight years at Kripalu Center for Yoga and Health developed his gentle approach to life.
Brad was a healer. He became a massage therapist in 1981 and trained in complementary natural healing methods many times in order to more effectively treat each client.
His knowledge benefited his own health when he was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. He did not despair. He found a strict diet and exercises that kept him moving and upright.
As a skilled user of tools and a creative designer, Brad turned a rough camp into a jewel of a home on Bunker Hill in Hardwick. He loved walking in those woods, and counting the lady slippers in the spring.
In mid-summer of 2024, Brad was diagnosed with terminal metastatic pancreatic cancer. As pain increased, his choice was clear. He was ready to step into the next world, no body required. On September 1, 2024, his only sibling, Kirk, his longtime partner, Don, Dr. Kiely, and two friends, Caro and Julie, created a circle of love as he passed off the earth through Vermont’s Death with Dignity procedures. To say he is missed does not begin to express the feelings of those whose lives he touched.
