Bruce Alan Radford

Bruce was born March 23, 1955 in Fayetteville. He never stayed in one place very long, as his father was a Master Sergeant in the United States Army. This constant moving was certainly a factor in his ability to make new friends and adapt to new locations, which served him well in his career as town manager!

When his family moved one last time from South Dakota to NC, Bruce walked in to Smithfield-Selma (SSS) High School wearing the latest South Dakota fashion: bellbottom pants embroidered with flowers. An astute observer of people, Bruce showed up the next day in khaki pants and a button down. Following that, he settled in nicely at SSS where he served with pride as drum major. Many years later he was inducted into the SSS Alumni Hall of Fame for his many years of community service, this time wearing a suit.

Bruce graduated from SSS in 1973, then spent four years in the United Sates Air Force honorably discharging as a sergeant. He attended Campbell University on the GI Bill, graduating with a degree in Political Science in 1983. Following that, as a life-long learner he also attended the Appalachian State University Town and City, County Management Program. He completed courses at the UNC Chapel Hill Institute of Government and the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard.

Bruce served as town manager for several municipalities including Troy, Washington, Mount Olive, Selma and most recently retiring from the town of Apex where he served for over 14 years. His proudest career achievement was leading Apex into the number 1 “best place to live” spot in Money Magazines rating of “Best Places to Live in America” in 2015.

In 1997 Bruce served as President of the Smithfield-Selma Chamber of Commerce; in 1998 he was awarded Citizen of the Year in Smithfield-Selma. He was Rotary Club of Apex’s Jim Weaver “Service Above Self” Award winner. He was also a proud member of the American Legion. He was deeply honored to be recognized in 2015 by Governor Pat McCrory with The Order of the Long Leaf Pine which is the highest award in NC for state service.

Bruce was preceded in death by his father, Marvin and his mother Eula Mae “Lee” Radford. He is survived by the two loves of his life, his beloved wife Kelly Martin Radford and daughter Alexandra L. Radford (“Ally”).

As many of you may know, Bruce was adopted. In the last few years, Bruce was able to meet many of his biological family members, which gave him great joy. Bruce Radford never met a stranger, and he left everyone he met feeling better about themselves. He was a huge presence in many, many lives and will be deeply missed.

A funeral service will be held 2pm Saturday, August 21, 2021 at Apex Funeral Home Chapel, 550 W. Williams St., Apex, NC 27502. Burial with military honors will follow the service at Apex Cemetery. The family will receive friends 1pm – 2pm prior to the service at the funeral home.

Condolences may be sent to www.ApexFuneral.net