GERALD GRANT "GERRY" RADFORD

November 19, 2021

Gerald Grant “Gerry” Radford of Kincardine died peacefully at the Huron Shores Hospice in Tiverton, Nov. 19, 2021. He was 57. Born March 9, 1964, in Gladstone, Manitoba, he was the third son of Ronald and Maxine Radford. That same year, the family moved to the town of Strathclair where Gerry spent the first 10 years of his life, attending the elementary school, beginning to take piano lessons, participating in various team sports and swimming lessons, and taking frequent trips and camping holidays with his parents and his two brothers. In 1973, the family moved to the town of Rivers, Manitoba, where Gerry spent his remaining days of childhood and youth, attending the elementary and high schools, excelling at schoolwork, playing hockey, joining the Boy Scouts and venturing to a jamboree in Nova Scotia. Most importantly, he began to study drumming and joined the Rivers and District Highland Pipe Band. Throughout his teenage years, his parents ferried him across the prairies to highland games and competitions and band performances at community events and parades. He attended the pipe and drumming school at Qu’appelle, Saskatchewan, and served as a drum instructor at the International Peace Gardens Festival on the border of Manitoba and North Dakota. Shortly after graduating from high school, Gerry set out to make his mark on the world, first heading to Windsor, then Whitby where he worked as a technician, contributing to the building of the Darlington Nuclear Plant. He continued his drumming interests and activities, joining the MacNish Distillery Pipe Band and participating in highland games, band and drumming competitions and parades from Montréal to Toronto, from Detroit to Chicago. Gerry’s summers were a whirlwind as he juggled a heavy work week at the plant and the travel and touring of the pipe-band circuit every weekend. But he loved it and would talk at length about the adventures of being “on the road” with MacNish. A highlight of those years for Gerry was playing with the 78 Fraser Highlanders of Toronto and travelling to Scotland to compete in the world championships. In 1993, he moved to Kincardine to take up employment with the Bruce Nuclear plant where he worked until his retirement in 2016. Gerry made his home in Kincardine, the warmth and friendship of the community, the beauty of Lake Huron and the surrounding counties, a home he established one block from the roaring waves of the lake. He continued with highland drumming activities, taught drumming at a local school, travelled to visit family and friends, He enjoyed golfing, tennis, cross-country skiing, following his favourite Canadian rock band, Rush, and driving the winding roads of Bruce County in one of his many cars. He was dedicated to his cats, Donner, Daisy-Mae and Dizzy-Doo, his constant companions on cold wintry evenings wrapped up with the many books he read - although the wake-up call for feeding at 4 a.m. was not always appreciated. Gerry was one of the founding members of the Penetangore Pipe Band which was formed in 2001, and served as the band's lead drummer until 2013. He was a leader in the organization when Penetangore won its first competition at the Kincardine Scottish Festival in 2004, and also when the band won the Grade 4 North American Championship in 2006. He mentored a lot of musicians over the years including Penetangore's current lead drummer, Whitney Bonnett. "Some of my best memories of playing are with Gerry," said Whitney. "He always treated me with such kindness, with the most sideways sense of humour. Unforgettable." The newest member of Penetangore's board of directors, Marshall Chamberlain, was a piper with the band and still in public school when Gerry led the band's drum section. "It's very sad to hear," said Marshall. "Gerry made tremendous contributions to the band and the core over the years and was an overall good guy." Gerry is predeceased by his father, Ronald. He will be dearly missed and always remembered by his many cousins, aunts and uncles; his mother, Maxine Radford; his two brothers, Laurie and Doug, their respective wives, Miriam and Cindy, and his two nieces, Mikaela and Kesia. May Gerry rest in peace. The funeral to honour Gerry’s life will be held at the Davey-Linklater Funeral Home, Tuesday, Nov. 23, 2021, at 11 a.m. Please RSVP at the following link: memorials.daveylinklaterfuneralhome.com/gerald-gerry-radford/4786153/index.php. All attendees are asked to respect social-distancing protocols and wear a mask. Following Gerry's wishes, this is an informal service, so please wear what you are comfortable in. Memorial donations to the Huron Shores Hospice would be appreciated as expressions of sympathy; arrangements entrusted to the funeral home; www.daveylinklaterfuneralhome.com