After graduating as valedictorian from Marshall High School, where he played basketball and served as school photographer, he attended the University of Arkansas before joining the Fort Smith office of the accounting firm Douglas Walker and Co. His work caught the eye of local businessman Herman Udouj, who persuaded him to join the fledgling Fianna Hills Development Corporation. Eventually he became a real estate broker for Fianna Hills Realty and a founding partner of Bradford & Udouj Realtors.
After retiring from Bradford & Udouj, Bob served on the planning committee for Chaffee Crossing. His community activities also included the Tax Equalization Board, the Fort Smith School Board, adjunct teaching at Westark Community College (now UAFS), and Habitat for Humanity.
With his family a close second and his beloved Razorbacks third, Bob’s Christian faith was most important to him. A lifelong member of the Southern Baptist Church, he taught Sunday School at Grand Avenue Baptist Church for six decades and served there in a variety of roles, including finance committee member, church treasurer, deacon, and overseer.
He is survived by his wife, Sandra Watkins Bradford; his brother Jack (Mary); his sister -in-law Gloria Watkins; his sons David and Greg (Linda); his grandchildren Bryan, Monica, Madeleine, Lillian, and Lucy; and dozens of nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his parents; his brother George (Lois); his sisters Virginia (Hersel) Cantrell, Mary (Leo) Watts, Lula (S.C.) Smyth, and Anna; and his in-laws Orville Watkins, Dorothy Wasson Watkins, and Cynthia Watkins Meadow.
Funeral services will be held at Grand Avenue Baptist Church in Fort Smith on Tuesday, November 4, at 10 a.m. Visitation will occur on Monday, November 3, between 5 p.m. and 7 p.m. at Edwards Funeral Home in Fort Smith.
Memorial contributions may be made to the Grand Avenue Baptist Church Helping Hand Ministry or the https://www.abcfm.org/campus-care-monticello.
