Russell Frederick Redding Jr.

Russell Frederick Redding, Jr., passed away on March 8, 2025, at age 82 years old, from Parkinson’s Disease. He was born in LaGrange, Ga., in 1942 to Russell F. Redding and Charlotte Hopkins Redding. Spartanburg, S.C. was the family home after 1945, and he attended school there until 1959. He was one of the first members of Spartanburg’s competitive swimming team. At age 16, he held a joint North and South Carolina age group competitive swimming record in the 100-yard backstroke. Later in 1960, he was named to the Prep School All American Swimming Team at Georgia Military Academy, College Park, GA., where he graduated from high school in 1961.

He was a member of the varsity swimming team at the University of North Carolina- Chapel Hill, and of the Phi Delta Theta social fraternity. Following college graduation with a degree in economics in 1965, he entered the Navy and was commissioned as an ensign. He was the only person out of his class of 500 in Officer Candidate School who volunteered for Underwater Demolition Team (UDT) training. He graduated from UDT Training Class 37 in 1966. He served a tour in the Philippines, reconnoitering hostile Vietnamese beaches during the Vietnam War. He was then asked to become a Navy SEAL. As a member of SEAL Team One, he served two tours in the Vietnam War, serving as Assistant Platoon Leader of a combat unit during his first tour. He was awarded the Navy Commendation Medal with Combat “V” for Valor in 1967. His unit was awarded the Presidential Unit Citation by President Lyndon Johnson in a White House ceremony in 1968. He then completed a tour in Taiwan, training Taiwanese naval special forces.

After serving four years in the Navy and attaining the rank of Lieutenant, he began a sales career as a manufacturer’s representative in the college graduation market. He served on the Alumni Board of Woodward Academy (formerly Georgia Military Academy), the Atlanta Vietnam Veterans Business Association Board, the Peachtree Road United Methodist Church Board of Stewards, and volunteered as a leader with the Boy Scouts of America.

Throughout his life, he enjoyed church, golf, gardening, quail hunting, being outdoors, and spending time with his family. In his retirement, he enjoyed drawing and painting. During the last years of his life, he fought a hard battle with Parkinson’s Disease. Despite the challenges that he faced with this disease, he was always cheerful and never complained. He was a devoted husband, father, son, and brother. He was pre-deceased by his parents; and his brother, Bruton Powell Redding. He is survived by his wife, Rebecca Rogers Redding, his two sons, Alan Russell, and David Rogers, and his grandchildren, Russell P. and Alice S.

A memorial service will be held at Peachtree Road United Methodist Church, 3180 Peachtree Road, Atlanta, Ga. 30305, on Saturday, March 22 at 1:00 p.m. A reception will follow at Grace Hall. The family requests that memorial donations be made to the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research.