Dear community and friends,
I thought it might be a good idea for us all to gather our thoughts, memories and stories of Brad and what he meant to us in one place. Please add your contribution below via a pull request.
Brad is a true friend. His personality, curiosity, motivation, and perseverance will stay with us.
I met Brad through common cause at work and formed a fast friendship that included a love of gaming and technology. He was always kind and warm towards me, and we shared many good stories. I extend my deepest condolences and would like you to know how special Brad was to our community and me personally.
Brad and I ended up on the same flight to Tel Aviv for a face to face meeting. I recognized his voice long before I saw him. As we deplaned I invited him to join me at the beach to burn away the jet lag. We stopped at the mall so he could buy a complete beach ensemble (suit, hat, flip-flops, sunglasses… the works). We smoked a cigar, had a beer, and did what two Midwesterners would no matter where they find themselves on the planet. That day I made a friend but I never thought I’d have to say goodbye so soon. I still laugh often when his jokes come to mind and eating at a Brazilian Steakhouse will never be the same. We all lost a good man - the genuine article.
I have several fond memories working with Brad. It was always during the most chaotic and stressful moments of work Brad would be quick with a joke to make light of the situation, or to put things in perspective. "Look at us, we’re such a bunch of whiny nerds complaining about how our roses smell!" No matter the situation Brad always knew what really mattered, the importance of friendship, and the levity of humor. We need more people like Brad in the world, and he will be sorely missed by all those who knew him.
I have worked with Brad for a short period time during one of OpenShift Releases. He is a true champion and always responded patiently if we need something to close on outstanding issues. I always relied on his quick responses and confident that he would get things done and always call up on him if we needed a fix for an issue that needs to be done quickly. It is a loss for his work family. My deepest condolences to the family and friends of Brad.
Brad was someone who believed in people. He believed in a person's ability to grow. He was fun, easy going and somehow untouched by ego. He was not only my team leader but a good friend. I am going to miss him immensely.
Brad helped me through a bit of a rough patch in my career, and for that I'll be forever grateful. I was always looking forward to the next time I could hang out with him. He also made a mean batch of chili. I'll sure as heck miss both.
Brad helped me more than I helped him. Which is a sign of a good person. He helped give the open source world the ability to save something and to have state; to stay on disk. He could see his way through a technical issue better than most. His wit was sharp and his humor...man, he made me laugh. I will miss his laugh in this world. You will definitely stay in my memory. Thanks for all that you did for the world.
I didn’t have the opportunity to work with Brad. It is clear, however, that he built and sustained community by helping others. Careerwise, I’m late to open source. It is people like Brad, however, that make it a welcoming place and show that this is all more than just a job. I wish I had a chance to get to know him.
Brad and I knew each other briefly at IBM, and then became friends as we worked closely together at Red Hat. We often disagreed about design and implementations, but our mutual respect for one another allowed us to work through high stress situations to find the best solution. Outside of work we talked about life and I was often trying to set Brad up with friends of mine or random people I met at conferences. We joked I was his ‘wing woman.’ He was a sounding board for me, as I was for him when we would become frustrated with grind. The last time I saw Brad we were sitting outside on the patio at Barcelona telling me I needed to relax more and live in the moment. He would almost always see through the bs and call people out on it and I will miss his genuine spirit.
Brad and I served as co-chairs of Kubernetes SIG Storage. We worked together to shepard many of the great projects the SIG delivered including the PV/PVC controller rewrite, creation of the attach/detach controller, dynamic volume provisioning with StorageClasses, and so much more. Brad was always so easy to work with, and willing to help. Beyond being a dependable lead for SIG Storage, I remember Brad as being quick with a joke and just a fun person to be around. He knew how to lighten the mood and defuse tension when there were big disagreements in the group. I always looked forward to talking to seeing him at conferences. You will be missed Brad, rest in peace!
Like everyone I was utterly shocked and saddened to hear about Brad. He was a constant to me, in both his unique personality and as an ear, a sounding board for ideas and opinions. He really was always available to help. I regret, when we were all at Kubecon in Austin, not taking him up on his invite to hang out at his place at the end of the day. I should have because then I would have gotten to know him a little better. I am so sorry for his family and all his close friends. Brad touched a lot of lives and will be deeply missed…
I think I knew Brad for less than 12 hours before he felt that it was appropriate to “flip me the bird”. It was totally appropriate.
I remember my first f2f in 2015. There were about a dozen of us in a San Jose office looking at a mountain of problems. Brad made it into a party. He made everyone welcome and made everything look easy. I miss him.
I regret not spending more time with Brad. He was introduced to me roughly six months ago, and he was always a friendly, knowledgeable face that invited me to ask questions. Brad wanted to see people grow, and did his best to help them do so. His absence leaves a void that cannot be filled, and he will be incredibly missed.
I did not have the good fortune to know Brad Childs personally. But I have known him through the technology he fostered and through the collaborative spirit that he encouraged across teams. He was great at both, and we will deeply miss him. Through his immense contributions he lives on.
Brad was always helpful, regardless of the ask or the situation. I met him two years back. From day one, he helped me with the container-native storage, its direction, and how jointly we can help customers. He certainly made his mark in the storage community with his care for people around him and his passion for technology. I will miss him and his laugh.
Brad was always kind and helpful in all my interactions with him. He was very open to new ideas & people. I will definitely miss having him around.
I didn’t have an opportunity to interact with Brad but he has demonstrated his technical leadership in many areas in persistent storage for container storage topics. Red Hat will definitely miss him.
I have worked with Brad for about three years and he was such a great guy to have around: fun, easy-going, always willing to help... He even let us stay at his house during the KubeCon conference in Austin. He drove us to the airport on our way back and when I was about to shake his hand, thank him and say goodbye he just hugged me instead saying "Come on! We're friends now". I lost a friend.
When I joined the SIG three years ago, Brad welcomed me like I was part of his team, and would always lend an ear, in both good and difficult times. Brad was able to connect with anyone and I fondly remember the times we were able to meet in person, try out good food, and talk about life. I will miss him greatly.