Bradford, Harold Edward
Harold Edward Bradford, born July 29th, 1939, of Ironto went home to be with the Lord on Monday morning, August 28th at Roanoke Memorial Hospital surrounded by loved ones.
Our beloved father and grandfather went on to join his wife of 37 years, JoAnne Moses Bradford as well as his parents, Frank and Pearlie Bradford, his brother Theodore Bradford, his oldest daughter Diane Shrader, his granddaughter Chelsea Nicole Raines, and his great grandson Kyle Shrader.
Left behind to cherish his memory are his children and their spouses Danny and Rhonda Bradford, Donna and Lonnie Raines, Drema and Tim Foster, and his son-in-law Mark Shrader. Also, his grandchildren Mark “JR” Shrader, Aubrey “Jodi” Wilcher, Brandon Bradford, Chad Raines, Courtney Raines, and JT Foster.
Harold served in the National Guard for five years at Fort Bragg. He was employed at GE for 32 years and retired almost 28 years ago shortly before the passing of his wife, JoAnne. He loved living on the mountain where he was raised and sitting on his front porch watching the abundant wildlife. He loved to hunt and fish, especially on Chincoteague Island where his family vacationed as well as Smith Mountain Lake. He was especially proud of his 34.5-pound citation striped bass he caught on Smith Mountain Lake in 1988. He also enjoyed traveling out West to visit Native American Reservations.
He was a strong fighter, battling Parkinson’s Disease for over 20 years, surviving a massive heart attack and a stomach hemorrhage over eleven years ago, and most recently his battle with lymphoma. He was determined to battle cancer, and after completing six rounds of chemo, his cancer ultimately did not win.
Per Harold’s request, there will be no visitation. A graveside service for the family will be private. He will be laid to rest next to his wife, daughter, granddaughter and great grandson. Arrangements are being handled by McCoy Funeral Home.
He was very proud of his Native American heritage (Cherokee and Lumbee). In lieu of flowers we know our dad would want people to donate to the Crazy Horse School, 245 Crazy Horse School Dr, Wanblee, SD 57577.