Bradley Benton

01/03/1969 - 02/18/2023

Mill Valley

Bradley C. (Brad) Benton, 54, of Mill Valley, CA, passed away on February 18, 2023, after a brief battle with cancer.

Brad grew up in Lake Bluff, IL, and graduated from Lake Forest High School in 1987. He migrated west where he earned a degree in Still Photography from the University of Southern California in 1991.

In 1994 he moved to the San Francisco Bay Area and built a successful career in advertising and digital marketing first at Cohn & Wells and subsequently at Direct Partners. Hired by DP as a Marketing Strategist, Brad was quickly promoted to Chief Technology Officer and San Francisco office General Manager – positions he held until his retirement in 2018. Beloved by colleagues and subordinates alike, Brad was highly regarded for his brilliance as a data scientist, but even more for his calm kindheartedness.

Brad will be remembered by his family and many friends as a super-smart, hardworking, and fun-loving guy whose fierce loyalty, honesty, integrity and quick wit knew no bounds. In his free time, Brad enjoyed touring in his Roadtrek 190 Popular, cooking, gardening, photography, keeping watch over the neighborhood from his balcony perch and enjoying his pets, Templeton (cat) and Pepper (dog).

Brad is survived by his partner of 32 years, Kari Wagaman of Mill Valley, one sister Lauren (Chris) Schmanski and two nephews, Christopher and Matthew Schmanski, all of Kenosha, WI.

Brad was preceded in death by his parents, James Colton Benton and Betty Rose Benton formerly of Lake Bluff, IL.

Memorials can be directed to the Cancer Research Institute or the

Marin Humane Society.