Gerald Carlton Radford

Gerald Carlton Radford, 86, of Richmond, Virginia, passed away on March 9, 2026. Born on January 1, 1940, in Richmond, Jerry had the distinction of being the city’s first baby of the decade. He graduated from Douglas Southall Freeman High School in 1958 and from Richmond Professional Institute in 1962. In between, he played baseball and basketball for a brief time at Randolph-Macon College.

At RPI, Jerry met the love of his life, Margaret Jean Level. They married in Pearisburg, Virginia, and shared 51 wonderful years together until her passing in 2012. He enjoyed a long career as an advertising executive, first owning Radford-Stewart Advertising and later partnering in Barber Martin Advertising. He then followed his passion for basketball, serving as assistant women’s basketball coach at Virginia Commonwealth University for eight years before founding SuperScout, a recruiting service that supported many of the nation’s top women’s college basketball programs.

Beyond his professional life, Jerry was an artist, avid golfer, fisherman, and horseman. He owned thoroughbreds for decades, with his greatest horse, Sting ‘Em, winning the Count Fleet Stakes at Aqueduct in 1987. He also wrote and published his own crime novels as a cherished hobby.

Jerry is survived by his sons, Rich (Laurie) and Robb; grandsons Kevin (Hannah) Radford and Alex (Drew) Radford; great-grandchildren Brooks and Emmie Radford; and his sister, Donnie Williams of Richmond. He was preceded in death by his parents, Harold and Willie Radford, and his sister, Bonnie Lodge.