David Raddle

David Calvin "Cal" Raddle, age 71, of Pine Bluff, passed away Saturday, July 12, 2025.
Born April 13, 1954 at Davis Hospital in Pine Bluff, he was a son of the late Calvin Lester Raddle and Bonnie Shelby Raddle. He attended Trinity Lutheran School, then Woodrow Wilson, Trice, and Dial Junior High Schools. A 1972 graduate of Pine Bluff High School, he entered the University of Arkansas at Monticello on a full music scholarship.
Without exception, music was his whole life. David was a talented guitar and bass player, having learned piano and guitar at an early age. He was performing with local bands during his junior high school and high school years. Some of the bands he performed with were The Snazz, Midnight Jackson, Night Boat, and others. They performed at restaurants, lounges, school events, country clubs, and weddings. During this time, he was also an assistant manager at the Malco Theater.
While attending college, he was given the opportunity to join the band Sweet Magnolias. He readily accepted the job as a bass guitarist and vocalist. David loaded up his 1974 Chrysler New Yorker (a gift from his parents in 1978) and headed to Little Rock. The Magnolias performed frequently in Little Rock and Fayetteville, traveling to Texas and throughout the Southeastern United States. Music was his complete life. When surrounded by music, nothing else mattered.
On December 7, 1992, he married Mary Suzanne Jaco Raddle and she preceded him in death on February 19, 2021. He grew up in Trinity Lutheran Church in Pine Bluff and was a member of Grace Lutheran Church in Little Rock. After his wife's death, he moved back to Pine Bluff to be near his family. The same 1974 Chrysler New Yorker followed him.
In addition to his wife and parents, David was predeceased by a brother, Tommy Raddle, and a nephew, Tommy Raddle, Jr.
Survivors include his brother, Mark Raddle (Judy); sister-in-law, Ronda Raddle; brother-in-law, John Jaco (Kay); nephews, Andrew Raddle (Megan), John Raddle (Cace), and Steven Taylor; and nieces, Krystal Raddle and Sarah Hand.
There will be an informal memorial visitation on Wednesday, July 16, 2025, from 6:30-7:30 p.m. in the Fellowship Hall at Trinity Lutheran Church, 4200 Old Warren Road, Pine Bluff, AR 71603.
For online condolences, please visit RobinsonFuller.com