Robert Shrader

Bob enjoyed a childhood filled with love and laughter in La Grange, Kentucky. He was a proud graduate of Oldham County High School and Western Kentucky University.

What first started as a love of photography for his high school yearbook eventually became a career in video production. His early career started at his alma mater, Oldham County High School, teaching video production to students and pioneering one of the first closed-circuit television systems in the state. His early work included photography and media production at Kentucky Fried Chicken, where his favorite project was traveling with KFC founder Col. Harlan Sanders during the last year of the Colonel’s life and creating a multi-image film telling the story of Col. Sanders and the early history of KFC.

Bob later left KFC to start his own business, Multi-Video Productions, Inc. During this time, he was the recipient of numerous Telly Awards and Louie Awards for creativity in broadcast television. His storytelling talents led him to the Kentucky Farm Bureau Federation as the producer, writer, and on-air talent for Bluegrass & Backroads, a video magazine program that received fourteen Emmy nominations and three Emmy Awards under his careful and creative leadership. Bob was a master writer, interviewer, and videographer, but his true passion was storytelling. For 7 seasons (seasons 5-11) of Bluegrass & Backroads, he amplified the voices and shared the gifts of many Kentucky artisans, towns, and festivals. He was proud to tell the stories of so many wonderful and creative Kentuckians who call the Commonwealth home. Under his leadership, Bluegrass & Backroads secured a highly coveted national syndication deal on RFD-TV, allowing the show to reach millions of homes nationwide.

Beyond his work life and all of the awards and honors, Bob was a careful listener and skilled at making connections. He was a principled man of strong faith. He believed in the goodness of all people and urged others to be kind and to choose love. His mind constantly bubbled with creativity, and his home was always filled with music. He cordially co-parented with his former wife to raise their children with instruction mingled with grace, creativity that always made the magic happen, and above all else, with love. He loved life and family, and enjoyed time spent in the kitchen with his children creating delicious meals, or walking in the park admiring the beauty of God’s created world. He found peace walking along the beach and enjoying the soothing quality of the ocean. And he was always happiest when surrounded by family playing cards, telling stories, or sharing time together.

His passion for interviewing and storytelling continued well into retirement. He could often be found connecting with and truly listening to the cashier at the grocery store, the med tech at the doctor’s office, his barber, or anyone with whom he came into contact. He would always call them by name and ask about their day or life with sincere concern and interest. He also never stopped writing and eventually authored dozens of short stories of adventure and childhood fun, as well as stirring poems that were frequent gifts to family and friends.

Bob passed away unexpectedly on Thursday, October 29, 2026, following complications related to heart surgery.

He was preceded in death by his parents, Horace Louis Shrader, Sr. and Aline (Richardson) Shrader, his brother Horace L. Shrader, Jr., and his brother-in-law Jan Neal Akers. He is survived by sisters Charlotte Akers and Cheryl Beckley (David Beckley), sister-in-law Melodie Shrader, two children Robert L. Shrader (Lisa Hoffman) and Rebecca McCarty (Bill McCarty), and four grandchildren, Mariah Clark, Caroline Shrader, Elijah Clark, and Lydia Shrader. He is also survived by his nieces Ami Brooks (David Brooks), Shannon Seebert (Mike Seebert), and his nephew Elliot Beckley (Laurel Beckley), a great-niece, Katie Brooks, and a great-nephew, Theo Beckley.

The family will receive visitors on Friday, November 6, from 5-7 pm at Beargrass Christian Church and again on Saturday, November 7, from 11 a.m. - 1 p.m. A memorial service will be held at Beargrass Christian Church on Saturday, November 7, at 1 pm. Burial will follow at Valley of Rest Cemetery in La Grange, KY.