Stephen R. Brader, 72, of Breinigsville, passed away unexpectedly on January 25, 2026. He was the husband of Anna M. (Peta) Brader. Born in Roxborough, Stephen was the son of the late Rodney and Mary (Vigna) Brader. Known as “Steve” to his friends, “Dear” to his beloved wife, and “Poopy” to his granddaughter and partner in crime, Julia, he was a man of varied skills, interests, and talents, which led to a storied career path and fascinating life.

Steve retired after fifteen years as a sergeant in the Philadelphia Police Department. When he wasn’t putting bad guys behind bars, he was often chosen for high profile security assignments, which is how Steve found himself onstage with Bono and Madonna during the Live Aid charity concert in Philadelphia in 1985 (he said Madonna was very short and very sweet); was able to take his family backstage at Wrestle Mania (and let us heckle “The Russians”); went on tour with The Rolling Stones on the Steel Wheels Tour in 1989 where he served as personal security detail for Geri Hall and her children and ended up debating the history of American football team names in a hot tub with Mick Jagger.

Steve was an avid comic book collector his whole life, so when he retired from the police department, he opened a comic book shop called Gotham Comics in Exeter Township (Berks County) where he often hosted parties to celebrate major releases or milestones, such as the Death and Return of Superman.

Steve ran his own P.I. firm called Thorn Investigations while also teaching private investigation courses at Berks Technical Institute. In 1998 he was recruited to a position that would lead to a new career he loved. Steve entered the world of high-end retail loss prevention, combining his investigative skills, ability to elicit a confession from wrong doers by following his number one rule - never ask a question you don’t already know the answer to (ask his kids how fun that was growing up!), and a new passion for fashion that would lead to a hobby as a shopaholic (mom was thrilled!). He worked as Regional Loss Prevention Manager for Ralph Lauren, Burberry, and most recently at The Children’s Place where he was employed when he passed. He talked about retiring but always said he loved his job too much; he would retire when that changed. During his time solving crimes in retail, he continued to hobnob with celebrities. He dressed Kiefer Sutherland for a late-night talk show appearance when Mr. Sutherland liked Steve’s suit better than what the personal shopper was showing him; Drew Barrymore sang “Happy Birthday” to him (it was not his birthday); helped Liv Tyler and Kate Hudson escape the paparazzi only to get swept into their car with his partner because the young women thought they were their security detail (they weren’t, they had just done a better job at it), and they all went to dinner.

Steve was many things to many people, but was everything to his wife, Anna. They would be married 52 years on February 16th. They never called each other by their names, only “Dear.” He teased Anna mercilessly, making her howl with laughter, even though most of his jokes involved her becoming a “Dateline” episode. They enjoyed every second together, shopping (they notoriously replaced sofas and appliances at an alarming frequency), taking road trips, eating out. Steve had an insatiable and obsessive sweet tooth. If there was a new flavor of any type of snack, he was trying it. His latest craze was peaches from Georgia Peach World that he discovered on a road trip to visit his daughter in Florida. He had a subscription that delivered peaches every month.

Steve was an engaging storyteller, a talented artist, horror genre enthusiast, music lover, and the ultimate consumer. He loved entertainment – books, podcasts, tv shows, movies, theater, all of it, hobbies he shared with his brother Rodney. He was a music lover from The Beatles to Taylor Swift. He introduced his daughter to John Mellencamp, his son to Marc Cohn, his grandchildren to Frankie Valli, Abba, and Queen. He loved horror movies, books, and lore. Nothing thrilled him more than an origin story for a monster or tracking Big Foot. As a matter of fact, his favorite game to play with his kids and later grandkids, was “Monster” which involved Steve hiding and jumping out at the kids terrifying and tickling them. Steve even wrote a horror fantasy book, “a Witch's Tale: The Journal” (published on Amazon). It was meant to be a trilogy but while Steve spun great tales, with lots of imagery, he wrote without any punctuation whatsoever, making it a challenge to edit into actual sentences.

Steve also loved cars, gadgets, and technology. Steve changed cars and tv sets almost as often as Anna changed sofas. His Tesla was his latest favorite. He would visit the showroom and start answering questions for people. He sold more cars than the salespeople! The Brader family had the earliest versions of just about everything - microwave, big screen TV, VHS and Beta. Steve was an early Apple devotee. We used to joke we could never buy him anything at the holidays because he bought everything he wanted immediately.

When people first met Steve, they would find him to be quiet and reserved. He was an observer. He didn’t reveal himself until he was comfortable. He liked to be in control of his surroundings. It may have been a by-product of his career, perhaps it was his nature, and was the reason he was so successful, but what most people did not expect was the irreverent sense of humor and wit below the surface. He was always up to something, found the humor in every situation, even when it was most definitely not appropriate.

Steve was a mentor to his children, grandchildren, colleagues, and friends. His partner at The Children’s Place shared that “Stephen had a unique ability to make people feel valued and heard. He brought generosity, calm, and positivity into every moment.” It was true. If you needed wise counsel, someone to anchor you when you felt unmoored, someone strong enough to bear your weight when you felt heavy, and then help you become lighter, unburdened, and gain perspective, it was Steve.

Steve rarely smiled, but he laughed all the time. He rarely showed emotion, but he was warm, loving, and generous. He was Batman, The Riddler, and The Joker, all in one, an enigmatic hero. If you wanted to know how he was feeling, you had to look closely and watch for the smirk beneath the trademark mustache.

Steve was taken from us too soon. We were not ready for him to go, but there is no question that he enjoyed his life tremendously, lived it fully, and had no regrets. And that is what he wanted for all of us – to live happy lives, to do things we enjoyed, and not waste time on regrets or sorrow.

Stephen is survived by his beloved wife, Anna; daughter, Angela wife of David Swartley; son, Stephen M. Brader and wife Erin; grandchildren, Steven, Julia, Jackie, Bailey, Kathleen, Chelsea, Jasper, and Declan; great grandchildren, Everleigh, Isla, and Adrian; brother, Rodney Brader and wife Diane. He was predeceased by a grandson, Corey.

Services will be private at the convenience of the family. Schantz Funeral Home, P.C., Emmaus is handling arrangements.