Bradley G. Zielie

Bradley G. Zielie

June 20, 1966 – October 7, 2023

Bradley G. Zielie, 57, passed away peacefully on October 7th at Methodist Hospital in Omaha, Nebraska.

Brad was a dedicated employee at Union Pacific Railroad for 33 years.

He was preceded in death by his mother, Marilyn Zielie; father-in-law, Roy Creath; uncle, Terry Forthun; brother-in-law, David Creath.

He is survived by his wife, Jacqueline; daughters, Meredith and Mattighan; father, Gene Zielie; sister, Nikki Zielie; mother-in-law, Catherine Creath; sister-in-law, Lindsey Creath Donner; aunt, Catherine Forthun; nieces and nephews: Mackenzie and Bailey Zielie, Kennedy, Finn and Eleanor Creath and Sophia and Bishop Donner.

Family will receive friends Friday, October 13th from 5:00PM – 7:00PM at West Center Chapel with a Vigil Service at 7:00PM.

Mass of Christian Burial: Saturday, October 14th, 12:00PM at St. Vincent de Paul Catholic Church (14330 Eagle Run Drive) with a luncheon to follow.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations to HDSA.

Our lives were irreparably shattered over the weekend. On Saturday, October 7, 2023, a little after 2 pm, Brad Zielie, passed away. Brad was in the hospital recovering from surgery, but his body had had enough. Brad has left a hole that can never be filled, and we are all devastated.

Brad was a kind and generous man who dearly loved to laugh. He was analytical and logical. He loved to research stuff and was usually right about most things. He enjoyed corny TV shows like, Monk and Psych and searched low and lower for the most terrible Sci-Fi movies. He found sarcastic and sometimes dark humor hilarious, and he could deliver his favorite jokes without a flaw. He would often share stories about work or family and friends that he liked so much he would repeat them. Typically, he liked this time of year as one of his favorite movie genres is horror. He shared his enjoyment of horror movies with his daughters with whom he watched those movies. He liked to scare people out of nowhere and make us laugh when he would take a page from Adam Sandler’s book of Hand Dog Barking. Brad loved to cook, grill/smoke and was excellent at it. He was always supplying food for various events. He would pack and prepare food for entire teams of kids all the time. Brad was funny, and people always enjoyed talking with him. People would often approach him at stores and ask him questions as if he worked there. At first glance he could be intimidating, but it was his kind eyes and demeanor that drew people in. You could trust him. You felt safe with him.

Brad was loyal. Brad was married to Jacqui for 25 years. He worked for Union Pacific his entire adult life having started interning with them while still at Iowa State University obtaining his Bachelor of Electrical Engineering. He was set to retire in 3 years. That is also where Brad met his dearest friend, Ron, who he is still friends with today. Brad was a member of St. Vincent de Paul church. He was involved with the men’s club and coached soccer and volleyball. I mentioned earlier that he enjoyed playing golf. Brad had played golf with the same group for years. In short, you could always count on Brad.

By far his best trait…Brad was loving. Brad would tell you his biggest and best accomplishment was being a dad to Meredith and Mattighan. He fiercely loved his girls with every fiber of his being from their inception until his last breath. He will continue to guard and guide them from heaven. From the start, his daughters found their best sleeping position to be laying on his chest. Meredith would never slow down…ever. But the second she laid on his chest BOOM she was out. Mattighan followed suit a few years later. That was the beginning of their incredibly close relationship. Brad was involved with every aspect of their lives. Along with the normal parental duties, he also supported them by doing things like learning to sew, spending hours creating period costumes for elementary school. He helped with schoolwork and projects. He was there, and saved seats, for every dance recital, vocal concert, school play, speech competition, graduation, and every sport they played including soccer, softball, volleyball, swim team, triathlons, and beach volleyball. He coached soccer, softball, and volleyball at school and at the YMCA. He traveled for hours to watch each girl play soccer and volleyball even through college all while continuing to buy, make, and prepare food for their teams. As they got older Brad cherished time with his girls. He spent hours talking to them on the phone reassuring them of how proud he was of them and how much he loved them. They are his biggest and best accomplishment, and they will continue his legacy as they are exactly like him.