HOLMES BEACH – The life and legacy of longtime Island resident and Dcoy Ducks’ bartender Brad Lisk was celebrated Saturday with a boat brigade, an ash spreading ceremony in the Gulf of Mexico and an after-party.
Brad passed away at the age of 51 on March 25 after suffering a massive heart attack on March 20 – a heart attack preceded by previous heart issues. He left behind his two sons, Shane Pelkey Lisk and Tanner Pelkey Lisk, both of whom share their dad’s strong ties to Anna Maria Island.
Brad Lisk coached youth baseball on the Island for years. – Submitted
At 6:10 p.m., on Saturday, June 13, a procession of about 20 boats that departed from Longboat Pass arrived offshore at 68th and 69th streets in Holmes Beach. The commercial fishing boat Savage Lady flew a large banner on the starboard side that said, “Hang Loose Brad Lisk.”
The boat brigade was greeted by dozens of people gathered on the beach, many of whom wore commemorative T-shirts featuring a sketch of Brad on the front and on the back the now infamous photograph of Brad at a Tampa Bay Buccaneer’s game holding a sign that said, “WILL Q.B. FOR BEER.”
Some on the beach swam out to the boats or used paddleboards to get there.
“If more people were like my dad, we wouldn’t have the issues we have today.” Shane Pelkey Lisk
At 6:30, Shane came ashore via personal watercraft and waded onto the beach carrying a tequila bottle containing his father’s ashes. A circle formed and Stetson Matthews was the first to share his thoughts.
“He took me under his wing and I’ve never met a person like Brad Lisk. He was laid back, but he could still guide people in various directions. We’re all here for him,” Mathews said.
Dennis Doran pointed to the Tampa Bay Rays jersey he wore and said, “Brad bought this for me. Everybody I talked to said, ‘I was his best friend.’ That’s the way he treated everybody.”
Brad Lisk’s friends gathered on the beach to celebrate his life. – Joe Hendricks | Sun
Shane then spoke.
“I would like to say a prayer for my father. My dad loved peace, love and harmony. He treated everyone equal. No matter who you were, the color of your skin, what you looked like, what background you had, my father loved everyone equally.
“My dad taught me to love and cherish everything you have. If I wasn’t happy, he’d tell me, ‘Is there a roof over your head? Is there food on your plate? If you don’t like this, go find somewhere else to live.’ But you know what? I always came back,” Shane said.
He referenced the many years his dad spent coaching youth baseball and said, “He always took care of the Island kids. We always had a team where we were the oddball team. The kids didn’t have much and he would load everyone up in a truck and we would always get to practice or a game.”
He also said, “If someone needed someone to talk to, he was always the guy to give them advice. He always treated everyone with the same respect. If more people were like my dad, we wouldn’t have the issues we have today.”
Shane then waded into the Gulf of Mexico, said his father’s name aloud and began spreading his ashes as the people on shore cheered and the boats blew their horns.
Before rejoining the boat brigade, Shane encouraged everyone to stop by Dcoy Ducks to see the shrine erected in his dad’s honor. The shrine featured photograph books, framed photographs, framed concert tickets, a painting by Logan Huck, photographs projected on a video screen and more.
As folks arrived at the bar, Dcoy Ducks’ general manager Richie Brown shared his thoughts.
“Brad was a legend. He was an incredible friend, an incredible employee and the best bartender on the Island, hands down. People from all over the country would come to the bar and the first thing they said was, ‘Is Brad working tonight?’ He was a great father, a great friend and the Island will never be the same. He was an icon,” Brown said.
“Dcoy Ducks sends our thoughts and prayers to Brad’s sons, Shane and Tanner,” Brown said, noting the challenges of putting together a celebration of life during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Dcoy Ducks’ bartender Lisa O’Connell said Brad worked there for about 10 years and started as a doorman, which didn’t last long.
“He had the personality to be behind the bar. I love him with all my heart,” O’Connell said.
Having made his way from the beach to the bar, Mike Lacher said, “Back in the ’80s and ’90s we went to probably 100 concerts together. He was a great guy and a great friend to everyone. I knew him for 40 years and we first met in Boy Scouts.”
Lacher was at the Bucs’ game captured in the photograph and later used for the commemorative T-shirts.
“I think it was back in the ’80s. We were 1-13 that year. We were absolutely horrible,” Lacher said.
ANNA MARIA ISLAND – Anna Maria Island lost a true friend and a champion of the people when Brad Lisk passed away on Wednesday, March 25.
Brad had a massive heart attack on Friday, March 20 and never regained consciousness. He was 51 years old and had experienced previous heart failures.
At the time of his death, Brad lived in Bradenton, but he spent much of his life living and working on Anna Maria Island. Most folks on the Island knew Brad as the fun-loving bartender at D Coy Ducks, but he was much more than that.
Sons of Brad
Brad leaves behind two sons, Shane Pelkey Lisk and Tanner Pelkey Lisk, both of whom also have strong ties to the Island. The brothers grew up in Bradenton Beach and Shane still lives there with his wife Annie. Tanner lives in Cortez.
“He was a very hard-working individual. When my mom was pregnant, he had three or four different jobs going on at a time, but he was still able to go to MCC (Manatee Community College) and ace his tests,” Shane said.
“He made sure he got everything done. He made sure there was a roof over our heads and food on our plates. He made sure everyone was happy and he always gave what he could.”
“I’m going to miss him. Anytime I had issues with anything he was always the first person I leaned on.” – Shane Pelkey Lisk, son
“He was more than just a bartender. He was a person that helped out in the community.” – Tanner Pelkey Lisk, son
When asked what his dad taught him, Shane said, “I learned how to be a good human being. I learned the difference between right and wrong, how to treat others and how to be polite. He taught me money wasn’t everything.
“He taught me how to fish and how to play baseball and other sports. He was a coach for many years for the kids out here on the Island. He would put us all in the back of the truck and pick up three or four different kids on the way to practice or games. He always made sure those kids got there and got home.”
Brad Lisk coached baseball at the community center in Anna Maria for many years. – Facebook | Submitted
Shane said his dad started working at D Coy Ducks as a barback and poker dealer about 10 or 12 years ago.
At various times in his life, Brad sold beer at Raymond James Stadium, delivered newspapers for the Tampa Tribune, worked with Donzi Marine and Wellcraft boats and sold 3M products as an industrial supplier before becoming a bartender.
“In the last five years or so, he became an ordained minister. That was huge for him because growing up they always called my grandpa ‘Preacher Dave,’ ” Shane said.
“I’m going to miss him. Anytime I had issues with anything he was always the first person I leaned on,” Shane said.
Tanner Pelkey Lisk, Brad Lisk and Shane Pelkey Lisk shared strong father and son bonds. – Shane Pelkey Lisk | Submitted
Tanner said, “He was more than just a bartender. He was a person that helped out in the community. He was very smart. He taught me to treat others the way you want to be treated and to always listen before you speak. I’ll miss not being able to watch sports together and go to the games and go to the beach.”
Sisterly love
Brad’s sister, Summer Phillips, lives in Millsboro, Delaware.
“He always took care of our family when I was growing up. He was 12 years older than I am and he always made sure I had a good Christmas, because our mom was a single mom and didn’t have a lot of money. He always took care of me and he took care of things when my mom couldn’t,” Summer said.
Brad Lisk loved his job as a bartender at D Coy Ducks in Holmes Beach. – Facebook | Submitted
“He lived his life the way he wanted. He was unapologetic for who he was, he stayed true to himself and he always told it like it was. And he always stuck up for those that needed it the most. He did that even in high school. He was friends with everyone. He wasn’t part of a certain group. He made everyone feel good about themselves and he made everyone feel welcome,” Summer said.
Brad’s other sister, Stacey Lisk, lives in Los Angeles, California.
“The thing I’m most proud of is Brad’s willingness to be of service, his empathy and his ability to rouse the troops,” Stacey said.
Uncle Fred and Aunt Mary Ann
Brad’s uncle and aunt, Fred and Mary Ann Lisk, live in Delphos, Ohio.
According to Fred, Brad was born in Lima, Ohio and spent the first few years of his life in Delphos before Brad’s family spent short periods of time in Kokomo, Indiana, and Rockford, Illinois.
“Brad’s dad worked for Montgomery Ward, in sales.” Fred said.
“You always heard how friendly Brad was, but he was a very intelligent man. When he was in the third grade, he had a teacher who told my wife that Brad was one of the brightest students she ever had. Brad never did his homework, so she’d have to keep him after school or during recess, but she said he knew all the answers and he didn’t have to study,” Fred said.
Brad Lisk loved the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, even in their lean years. – Facebook | Submitted
“He was a very open and friendly person. He was very giving and would do anything for you. We always looked forward to seeing him when we came to Florida. We saw him five days before the heart attack. We spent a week with him,” Mary Ann said.
“On Saturday night, he had a barbeque for us, his two boys and Lucy. That night was the last time we saw him. We left Sunday morning and we got the call from Shane Friday morning saying he’d had a very serious heart attack,” Fred said.
“When we came to Florida, we always stayed with Brad. We always had a nice time, but this last time just seemed to be extra special. It was really a great time,” Mary Ann said.
In love with Lucy
Brad and Holmes Beach resident Lucy Spoon were a couple for the past three and a half years, and they were friends for two years before that.
Lucy works at Siesta Beach in Sarasota as a member of the Sarasota County Beach Patrol.
She was working Monday afternoon when she shared her thoughts on Brad.
“He was so proud of me when I got this job. Right now, he would be making fun of me for getting paid to go play on a Jet-Ski when everyone else is out of a job,” Lucy said.
“He was my guardian angel on Earth. I’ve always been super naïve and innocent, and he was the opposite, so he protected me. I always called him my ‘sweet angel.’ I know nobody thinks of him that way because he was always such a smart-ass and every other word was the F-word. He was the kindest person I’ve ever known, besides my little boy, Michael Dean,” Lucy said.
“Michael Dean and Brad used to play and do boy’s night out and go get McDonald’s, play Nerf Ball, watch funny shows and movies and do all the guy stuff. Brad called Michael ‘Squid’ and he took him to baseball games, helped him with his basketball, taught him how to play Frisbee and helped him with his math and reading homework. He was so good at that and he was very helpful with my son,” Lucy said.
Brad Lisk and Lucy Spoon dressed to the nines when they attended the Elton John concert in Tampa in 2019. – Lucy Spoon | Submitted
“Brad was the kindest, most loving person. He was always about protecting the underdog. He was a big activist, helping with the benefits and giving away Publix gift cards during the holidays. And he never wanted to take credit for it, he always wanted to be anonymous,” Lucy said.
“One day he was walking past the Art Guild gallery next door and he saw a picture of a mermaid in the window. It was me. I used to model as a mermaid. My pictures are all over the gallery as a mermaid and he’s obsessed with mermaids. He would tell his customers he was dating a mermaid. I was his mermaid,” Lucy said.
“I’m going to miss not being able to hold him, hug him, kiss him and talk to him every day. I’m going to miss the trips we were meant to take together to Italy and Spain. Those were the two places he wanted to go to before he died. Unfortunately, he’ll have to go there as a spirit now.
“He was the best friend, the best lover, the best everything. I’m going to miss my soul mate. I’m going to miss going to concerts with him. I’ll miss his beautiful soul,” Lucy said.
“He had his first heart failure six months after we started dating. Heart failure runs in his family.
The last day we spent together was that Thursday afternoon. Michael Dean was there, and they played video games together. I gave him a hug and a kiss when I left. He called me at 7:22 a.m. Friday morning and said, ‘Baby, baby I need help.’ I was on my way to his house and the last thing he said to me was, ‘I’m so sorry, I’m so sorry.’ And that was it. He was never able to breathe on his own after that. They were already doing CPR when I showed up at his house,” Lucy said.
“I couldn’t go to the hospital because of the coronavirus. When I knew he was not going to make it, I talked to his doctor and said please let me see him. I got to see him for an hour on Saturday talking to him, kissing him and that was last time I saw him,” Lucy said.
A friend to all
In his dual roles as an ordained minister and a family friend, Brad presided over the celebration of life for Anna Maria Island Sun Co-Publisher Maggie McGinley-Field after she passed away in 2019.
“Brad was one of the sweetest people I’ve ever met. In my time of loss, he comforted me. His presence at Maggie’s service was something I will never forget,” Sun Publisher Mike Field said.
Monkey Bus owner Roque Pastorius said, “Brad loved the Island, the local sports teams, his family, his friends and chilling on the beach. His big, friendly smile and his ability to speak for others will be missed.”
Brad Lisk loved spending time at the beach. – Summer Phillips | Submitted
Bradenton resident Nadia Tryciecky said, “Brad truly made everyone feel special in their own way. He’d slide you your favorite drink as you walked in and give you a huge hug or sarcastic comment. He will be so missed by all of us.”
Holmes Beach resident David Zaccagnino said, “Brad was a friend to everyone and always ready to help anyone that needed it.”
Bradenton Beach resident Gayden Shell recently lost her son, Kyle Shell, who was friends with Brad.
“We have lost another islander – one that had the kindest heart and welcomed you with open arms anytime he saw you. He was so proud of his sons and he was a great father. Brad always made sure I was OK, and he gave Kyle an opportunity to explore his music talents in different ways at D Coy Ducks. I had the utmost respect for Brad. He never wanted anyone to know how ill he was, and he was always all about the other person,” Shell said.
The bench outside of D Coy Ducks now serves as a shrine to Brad Lisk – Joe Hendricks | Sun
