Obituary of Brad Kizzort

Brad Kizzort passed away at home in Viera, FL, surrounded by his loving family, on May 27, 2023, after a 14-month battle with glioblastoma. During those months, he went through two brain surgeries, chemo, and radiation but was able to travel to France, dance with his daughter at her wedding, and spend quality time with his family. When Brad was diagnosed with a terminal illness, his response was that he wanted to glorify God. His doctors and nurses noticed his peaceful presence.

Brad was born in Guntersville, AL on November 5, 1958, to the late Jerry Crew Kizzort and Jesse Kizzort. They eventually moved to Atlanta, GA where he earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees in chemistry from Emory University. He began working as a systems engineer at Scientific Systems Services in Melbourne, FL where he met his wife, Terri Wilson Kizzort in 1980. He earned an MBA at the Florida Institute of Technology, had a long career in the space industry, was co-chair of the Space Domain Task Force at Object Management Group (OMG), published research papers, and held two patents.

He was a renaissance man with many talents and hobbies, from winemaking and beer brewing to electrical wiring and being certified to work with refrigerants. He and his wife traveled the world, visiting museums and eating great food in each country. He had a song for everything, so it was no surprise he had already picked “Little Miss Magic” by Jimmy Buffett when his daughter was 13 for their father-daughter dance. A couple decades later when he shared that choice with his wife, he started with “Keep an open mind…” He was a great chef who could recreate any meal he ate, which worked out since his wife would rather take care of the dishes. He did not want a dog, but when his family brought one home he interpreted her thoughts using a voice assumed to be very accurate. He would do anything for his daughter, including playing Mother Ginger in the Nutcracker Ballet at his daughter’s request. The only thing he couldn’t do was convince his key lime tree to grow a single key lime.

Brad was a loving husband, father, and brother, a caring friend, and a valued coworker. He was curious about life and the way everything worked and could teach anyone anything without making them feel small or silly.

He is survived by his wife Terri, his daughter Megan Kizzort, and his siblings Rex Kizzort, Karla Kizzort, and Wes Ables. He was preceded in death by his sister Sherry Radford and his parents.

To honor Brad’s memory, we are holding a celebration of his life on June 17 at 10:30 am at Rock Harbor Church, 1805 Oak Street, Melbourne Beach, FL. We invite anyone who knew him to attend and remember his wonderful life. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that memorial contributions be made to the American Brain Tumor Association www.abta.org and select GBM Research Restricted.