George Lewis Bradberry

George Lewis “Buck” Bradberry, age 93, formerly of Auburn, AL, passed away on May 10, 2020, of natural causes. Born January 3, 1927, Buck was raised in Athens, GA, and attended the University of Georgia, where he played football and was a member of the track team. Upon graduation, he coached football at Oklahoma A&M (today OSU) before joining the coaching staff at Auburn University in 1951. There he met his future wife, Butch, at an Auburn pep rally. Buck coached at Auburn for 17 years, before moving over to Office of Alumni and Development, where he ultimately became Executive Director. During his tenure, he took the Auburn spirit to individuals and alumni functions world-wide, and he led several record-breaking capital fund-raising campaigns for his beloved university.

Buck retired in 1987, and then really set about to live. He reconnected with his love of athletics. In 1990, he won the World Masters Track Championships for the 60+ age group in the 100 meter hurdles in Melbourne, Australia. He continued running track and competing in Masters events for the next two decades. In 1995, he and Butch moved to Hendersonville, NC, where their new home became the jumping off point for visiting kids, spouses, significant others, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren. He rekindled his love for cooking. He took up writing, filling volumes with his often satirical, always poignant, poems about life. He pursued art. He tutored school kids at homeless shelters and worked in soup kitchens. And he continued to enjoy high-level track competition, including taking up the decathlon in his seventies.

Buck was gregarious, compassionate, witty, and a deeply religious man. He had a heart the size of the Milky Way, and he touched everyone who ever came into contact with him. Perhaps his greatest gift was a penchant for discourse, and he loved to engage in wide-ranging topics, whether sports, politics, geography, history, philosophy, or moral and ethical issues of the day. He was a guiding light to generations of athletes, colleagues, friends, and family, and he never met a person to whom he didn’t offer a bright smile and an encouraging word.

He was preceded in death by his wife of 67 years, Mary P. “Butch” Bradberry. He is survived by his daughter, Julee Herbert (Ames) of Hillsborough, NC; sons, George Bradberry of Pigeon Forge, TN, Jim Bradberry (Amy) of Philadelphia, PA, and John Bradberry (Kristin) of Charlotte, NC; in addition to 12 grandchildren and 8 great-grandchildren, and his sister, Sue (Sis) McCarty of Franklinton, NC.

A celebration of Buck and Butch’s lives will be held in the future, plans forthcoming.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to Hospice & Palliative Care Charlotte (NC) Region (hpccr.org) or the Hendersonville (NC) Rescue Mission (hendersonvillerescuemission.com).