Bradford L. Cherry

Bradford Lee Cherry, 83, of Portsmouth, VA, passed away unexpectedly on July 21, 2024. Brad was born in Portsmouth to the late Arthur Lee and Martha Jane Cherry. 

He is survived by his current wife, Beverly Kiernan Cherry. Brad was predeceased by Julianne Rawls Cherry, his wife of 50 years. They shared three wonderful children and 7 grandchildren: Leann Cherry Bakht, husband Shoaib (Jennifer, Monika), Lori Cherry Baccanari, husband David (Elliot, Stella, Annabelle) and Bradford “Ross” Cherry, wife Tara (Savannah, Hayley); and 4 great-grandchildren. 

Brad graduated from Churchland High School and went on to attend VMI and later Old Dominion University. While at ODU, he was a member of the Sigma Nu fraternity and remained friends with several of those fraternity brothers, even after they placed his red Fiat on the front porch of the fraternity house on cinder blocks with the tires off, which was a fond memory of his. 

After college, Brad went on to work with his father in the family rug-cleaning business, Cherry Rug Co., which his father started in 1947. Brad worked in every position within the company, believing that he could only direct what he had experienced. After convincing his father to move into carpet sales and taking over as President, the company became Cherry Carpet & Flooring and is one of the largest flooring businesses in Virginia. Brad entrusted the company to his son Ross in 2009, making him President, allowing Brad to take care of Julianne until her passing after a long battle with Alzheimer’s. Brad and Beverly met golfing, which brought a spark back to his eyes and soul. They married, spending their time traveling, boating, golfing, socializing and enjoying family outings, right up to his passing this past Sunday. 

Brad’s father instilled in him that you give back to the community in which you serve. He lived this motto by being on numerous community, nonprofit and for-profit boards. In his early years, he served as PTA President, Chairman of the Portsmouth School Board, Portsmouth YMCA Director, Director of Small Business Division of the United Fund, Portsmouth Chamber of Commerce, and was a longtime member of the Portsmouth Rotary Club. He was the chairman of the Portsmouth Port and Industrial Commission, the Chair of the Industrial Development Authority of Portsmouth and the Vice President of the Portsmouth Industrial Foundation. His dedication to his community led to his recognition as First Citizen of Portsmouth in 1984. With his heart fully engaged in the revitalization and success of his hometown, Portsmouth, he never stopped working for the good of the community and its citizens. 

He recently retired as a founding director of TowneBank, being named Board Member Emeritus. Over the past 40-plus years, Brad served on the board of three banks, with the final being his leadership of TowneBank since 1999. He sincerely felt a dedication to the bank throughout these years, and specifically to his great friends Scott Morgan and Robert Aston, for whom he had the greatest respect. 

Brad was an avid golfer and led the revitalization of his home course, Elizabeth Manor, in recent years. He loved boating with his family, and he could tackle any project around the house that most people would hire out, such as chain-sawing tree limbs from the top of a ladder or installing a 250-foot bulkhead on the river behind his beloved home. Although he loved his family more than anything, his dogs were a close second. There’s a long list of dogs over the years, but his most recent dogs were Buddy 1 and then Buddy 2. 

Brad will be remembered for being the one who could lighten the mood in any situation, with his ability to pull out the perfect joke at the perfect moment, including a long list of “Dad” jokes. He was a dear friend to many and simply enjoyed spending time with those he loved. It is without saying that he will be missed dearly by his wife, his family, friends, dog and everyone who had the honor of knowing him. 

A visitation will be held from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m., Friday, July 26, at Foster Funeral Home, 1926 High St., Portsmouth.

A memorial service will take place 12:00 Noon, Saturday, July 27, at Churchland Baptist Church, 3031 Churchland Blvd., Chesapeake. The service will be livestreamed through Green Acres Presbyterian Church Facebook page, where Brad and Beverly are members. It will also be streamed through the Churchland Baptist Youtube page.

A Celebration of Life will immediately follow the memorial service at TowneBank University Campus, 6009 Harbour View Blvd., Suffolk.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Cherry Family Donor Fund at the Southeast Virginia Community Foundation or TowneBank Foundation in memory of Brad Cherry (TowneBank Foundation, Attn: Robyn Leavy, 6001 Harbour View Blvd., Suffolk, VA 23435). Condolences may be registered at BWFosterFuneralHome.com.