Richard Brown Bradford

Richard Brown Bradford died peacefully, surrounded by his loved ones, on November 2, 2015. The son of William Oral Bradford and Florence Brown Bradford, he was born April 4, 1932 in Ogden, Utah.

During his childhood, Richard had the opportunity to live in several places throughout the United States. He became a Boy Scout while living in Baltimore, MD. His early experiences with scouting shaped his future, as well as creating lifetime friendships.

After graduating from Ogden High School, Richard attended Ventura College and University of California at Los Angeles then served in the United States Army Infantry during the Korean War. He finished a bachelors degree in physics at Brigham Young University. Richard was then called to be a missionary for the LDS church in the French Mission, which at that time included France, Belgium, and Switzerland. He returned home to continue graduate studies at BYU.

Richard became an engineer at Thiokol in Brigham City, where he had the opportunity to meet Ellen Andersen. They were married in the Logan LDS Temple on September 14, 1959. While living in Brigham City, Richard became an assistant boy scout leader. When his wife saw how much more he enjoyed spending time with young people than rocket scientists, she encouraged him to become a teacher. Richard and Ellen moved to North Logan, where he attended Utah State University to earn teaching credentials, and was hired by Logan High School in 1962.

As a teacher and boy scout leader, Richard Bradford influenced the lives of many young people in Cache Valley from 1962 until his retirement in 1997. He was known for his dry wit, practical jokes, and a willingness to provide extra help to students who were struggling. Many of his former students credit him with showing them how fun math, physics, and engineering could be, while others remember the electrifying experiences they had in his classroom. His commitment to his students and the community were recognized over the years with various teaching and service awards, including the Silver Beaver Award from the Boy Scouts of America. Each time, Richard unfailingly credited Ellen’s support and encouragement as the driving force behind his accomplishments. He retired in 1997, after 35 years of teaching. Soon after, he was pleased to return with his wife to France, where they worked as missionaries in the France Bordeaux LDS Mission.

Richard was an active member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints throughout his life. He served in many capacities, including branch president, bishop, high councilor, temple ordinance worker and--his favorite--primary teacher.

He is survived by his wife, Ellen; children Lisa Bradford, Boyd (Lena) Bradford, Lynne’ (Kris) Huber, Lorene (David) Hovey, Bill (Michelle) Bradford, Ruth (Benjamin) Harding; twenty grandchildren; and his sister, Nancy Allen. Richard was preceded in death by his parents; a daughter, Linda Bradford; and grandchildren Isabelle Bradford, Lily Harding, and Hyrum Hovey.

Funeral service will be at 11 A.M. on Saturday, November 7, 2015 in the North Logan 10th Ward Building at 1550 E. 1900 N., North Logan, Utah. Friends and family may call at the Allen Mortuary (420 E. 1800 N., North Logan, Utah) on Friday, November 6 from 6-8 P.M., or at the church prior to the service on Saturday from 9:30-10:30 A.M. Burial will be in the North Logan City Cemetery.

The family expresses sincere appreciation for the exceptional care provided by the Huntsman Cancer Institute and Intermountain Homecare Hospice. In lieu of flowers, it was Richard’s wish to have donations made to Primary Children’s Hospital Foundation (primarychildrens.org) and Riley Hospital for Children Heart Center (rileykids.org).
Condolences and memories may be shared with the family online at www.allenmortuaries.net