Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: FRIDAY, June 4, 1993 TAG: 9306040266
SECTION: CURRENT PAGE: NRV-2 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
SOURCE: New River Valley bureau
DATELINE: BLACKSBURG LENGTH: Medium
Radford, 78, died Tuesday at his Blacksburg home. He had been battling cancer for more than a year.
Radford, a prominent Blacksburg merchant, was the founder and co-owner of Radford Bros. supermarket.
"Hank was a smart businessman and about as friendly as you could find," said the Rev. Al Payne, a longtime friend of Radford's. "He will be missed."
Radford was born July 11, 1914, in a tiny log cabin in Franklin County near what is now the Blue Ridge Parkway.
He came to Blacksburg in 1937 and opened a small general store three miles north of town at the foot of Brush Mountain.
Radford served overseas in World War II from 1943 to 1945. After the war, John and his brother, James, opened Radford Bros. across North Main Street from its present location. In 1957, the store was moved to 1000 N. Main St.
Betty Jo Gruber, Radford's daughter, said her father was active in the Blacksburg Rotary Club and enjoyed walking and playing golf. He was a member of Blacksburg Baptist Church.
Radford Bros. was sold to Lowell Wade in August 1977 and Radford retired to spend time traveling with his wife, Edith.
"He was one of the most honest and sincere people that I have ever dealt with both as a friend and a competitor," Wade said.
Wade's respect for Radford was so great that he decided to retain the Radford Bros. name at the Blacksburg store.
"They had an excellent name in Blacksburg, and we wanted to retain that name," Wade said.
In lieu of flowers, the family is asking that contributions be made to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, P.O. Box 1818, Memphis, Tenn. 38101-9903 or to the American Cancer Society, P.O. Box 446, Christiansburg, Va. 24073.
by CNB