Robert Francis (Bob) Bradford, 83, of Westport Island, died April 25 peacefully and with family at his side.
He was born March 25, 1927 in Locke Mills, one of Everett Harold and Fannie Hersey Bradford’s nine children. He attended Bridgton Academy, graduating in 1945 and then served 18 months in the U.S. Army Air Corps. After returning from post-WWII Europe, he attended the Forestry School at the University of Maine, graduating in 1951. Robert married Phyllis Harriman in 1949 and they lived in Dixfield and Rumford while raising six children. Robert worked for Oxford Paper Company for several years and also spent time surveying Maine forests as a side business. He loved to live outdoors – tending his vegetable gardens and rose bushes, walking in the woods and canoeing trips were some of his favorite pastimes.
Robert and Phyllis moved to Westport Island where she passed away in 1992. He remarried in 1997 to Helen Elizabeth Lilly.
Robert loved to travel; he vacationed to New Zealand where he bungee-jumped, he boated on the Amazon River, camped in Canada, and trekked in the forests of Nicaragua. A daredevil known for his jokes and humor, Robert parasailed and rock climbed and was an avid bird watcher and lover. His house on Westport boasts a pair of binoculars in every room. A day for Robert was never complete without a game of cards with friends or family – bridge, cribbage, or barbu.
Robert was predeceased by three siblings.
He is survived by four brothers; one sister; wife of 13 years, Helen; children, Daniel, David, Margaret, Alan, Andrew, and Laura; step-children; grandchildren; nieces; nephews; and many extended family members.
Service 1 p.m., Sat., May 1 at the Wiscasset 1st Congregational Church, followed by a reception at the Westport Town Hall.
Flowers from immediate family members only please, and donations in his memory may be made to the Boston University Vasculitis Center, 72 East Concord St. E533, Boston, MA 02118.
