OBITUARY: Walter S. Bradford Jr., 87, of Tewksbury

TEWKSBURY, MA — Walter S. Bradford, Jr., age 87, a resident of Tewksbury for 64 years, passed away at the Lowell General Hospital on Wednesday, November 16, 2016.

He was the beloved husband of Betty J. (Little) Bradford, with whom he celebrated their 65th wedding anniversary on October 6th 2016.

Born in Malden on October 8, 1929, he was the son of the late Walter S. Bradford, Sr. and the late Evelyn M. (Rae) Bradford.

Walter was raised in Haverhill. He graduated from Haverhill High School in 1947, and later attended Salem State College, where he received his B.A. Degree in History Education in 1979. In 1951, he was drafted into the U.S. Army, and served during the Korean War era.

Prior to his retirement, he was employed for 36 years at The Great Atlantic & Pacific Tea Company and then as an Assistant Traffic Manager for Dynamics Research Corporation of Wilmington, where he worked for 15 years.

Walter was a member and past Patron of the Acacia Chapter of the Order of Easter Star. In addition, he was a member of the Merrimack Masonic Lodge of Haverhill as well as Scottish Rite Valley of Lowell.

In addition to his wife, he is survived by two daughters, Lauren J. McLeish and her husband David of Burtonsville, MD and Cheryl L. Williams and her husband Guy of Hampstead, NH; four grandchildren, Mindy Raglin, Vicki Brandon, Amy Williams, and Matthew Williams; four great grandchildren, Madison, Brooklyn, and Joshua Raglin, and Bennett Brandon.

Walter was the brother of the late Joyce Mansfield and Priscilla Tenney.

Calling hour Monday, Nov. 21 from 10 a.m. until 11 a.m., at the Farmer & Dee Funeral Home, 16 Lee St., Tewksbury. Funeral services will follow at the funeral home. Interment at Tewksbury Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, donations in his memory may be made to the First Congregational Church of Pelham, P.O. Box 847, Pelham, NH 03076

Obituary and photo courtesy of the Farmer and Dee Funeral Home