Grady Pridgen Jr.

1936 - 2015

Grady Clifton Pridgen, Jr. ROCKY MOUNT - Grady "GC" Clifton Pridgen, Jr., age 79, passed away peacefully on Monday, June 29, 2015, surrounded by his loving family at Kindred Hospital, Bay Area, St. Petersburg, Florida. He was born May 9, 1936 in Rocky Mount, North Carolina, to the late Grady Sr. and Blanche Crumpler Pridgen of Rocky Mount, and was the elder of two children. Charismatic and witty, Grady was a natural entertainer, a brilliant story teller and singer who could play the piano and sing made up songs about you on the fly. He graduated Phi Beta Kappa from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill where he met and married Shirley Carpenter. After receiving a degree in broadcasting, he enlisted in the Air Force and was stationed in Taipei, Taiwan where Grady worked for the Armed Forces Radio Station as an announcer, writer, producer, sportscaster, and DJ of his own weekly musical show. After his military service, Grady enjoyed a long and successful career with Jefferson Pilot Broadcasting in Charlotte, NC, and Richmond, VA. Grady will be remembered for his magnetic personality, his sense of humor and his unique ability to connect with people. Left to honor Grady and remember his spirit are his seven children: Grady (Jodi) Pridgen, Alisa Kupec, Cheri (George) Grinnan, Sean (Heather) Pridgen, Chris (Anne) Pridgen, Jonathan Pridgen, and Melanie (Jason) Smith; seventeen grandchildren; and his loving niece, Roberta Davis Jones, and numerous other relatives. The Pridgen family would like to extend our gratitude to devoted caregivers Mamie Edmondson and Michelle Vendryes. Grady was preceded in death by his parents and his sister, Anita Pridgen Davis. A Funeral Service will be held at 11:00am on Monday, July 27, 2015, at Mill Branch Church on Mill Branch Road, Sharpsburg, North Carolina, with Elder Autry Pridgen officiating. Burial will follow at Mill Branch Cemetery. Memorial donations may be made to the American Heart Association.