Rev Dr. Richard Radford Jr.

Rev. Dr. Richard Francis "Deacon" Radford,
80,journeyed peacefully to be with his Lord
and Savior May 19, 2019 at Cornerstone
Hospice surrounded and comforted by his
loving family.
Born February 15, 1939 in Boston,MA,
Richard lived the majority of his storied life
in Brookline, MA. He graduated from
Stoneham MA High School in 1956 and
served in the US Army 1959-65 as a
German/French interpreter, Army
newspaper editor, and founded a battalion
golf team. He met his soulmate and
helpmate ("Saint") Lynne in 1962 and they
married in 1966.
Richard graduated with honors in English
from Boston State College and held
degrees (M.Ed.Ed.D) from UMASS
Amherst--all obtained nights and weekend;
thus St. Lynne.
A widely-published poet and author of
several fiction and non-fiction books,
Deacon Dick, with the blessing of his family,
later turned to running a homeless shelter
for street people, another for women and
children, and a half-way house for men
coming out of prison. He also served as a
Chaplain in a women's prison and was an
LSW and Addictions Counselor. He was
also a proud and active member of
American Legion Post 347.
In 1988 Richard was ordained a Catholic
Deacon after post-graduate work at St.
John's Seminary, Boston MA. He served as
a faithful Deacon at St. Mary of the
Assumption Church in Brookline, MA for
20+ years, and upon relocating to The
Villages, FL served as Deacon at St.
Vincent de Paul's, Wildwood, FL.
Richard enjoyed playing golf, listening to
beautiful music, telling astonishing stories,
spending precious time with his family and
friends, and enjoying the serenity of his
cottage at Sebago Lake Maine.
He is survived by his loving wife and best
friend, Lynne, his adoring children Amy and
Richard III (Emily Reale), his grandchildren
Nora and Deacon, brothers David (Carol)
and Gerard, and a multitude of other family
and friends.
A funeral mass will be held at 11:00 a.m. on
June 19 at St. Vincent de Paul church,
followed by interment at Florida National
Cemetery in Bushnell, FL.
In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to
St. Judes Childrens Hosp., Cornerstone
Hospice, or a charity of your choosing.
For full obituary go to NeptuneSociety.com
or Legacy.com