BRADFORD Douglas Elwood Jan. 29, 1944 - May 11, 2008 With great sadness we announce the passing of Douglas Elwood Bradford. He lost his brief battle with lung cancer and passed away peacefully with his family at his side at the Red Deer Regional Hospital. Born in Cabri, SK and raised in Lancer, SK, Doug moved to Calgary as a young man where he met and married his wife Laura. Doug worked as a customer serviceman for Canadian Western Natural Gas, Northwestern Utilities and ATCO Gas in Calgary, Edson, and Red Deer. Doug and Laura settled in Red Deer in 1979, where they have remained since. Doug retired in 2005 and enjoyed travelling and camping. Doug was known for his sparkling blue eyes and friendly, compassionate smile. He was the first to greet you at the door and the last to watch you leave. He was a man without ego, caring first for others and then for himself. His family was the most important thing to him. He never lost an opportunity to tell people about his daughters or his wife. Doug loved baseball, hockey, camping and playing with his grandsons. A physically active man and an avid lover of baseball, Doug was one of the founders of the Red Deer Senior Men’s Baseball League. This group has grown over the years from a 35 and over team, to multiple teams in ages extending up to 50 and over. This league routinely sends teams to the Canadian Nationals, which they won in 2007 and the Senior Men's World Series in Phoenix, which they won in 2006. He is survived by Laura, his wife of 37 years, his daughter Laurie (Tim Gallant), his grandsons Nicholas, Samuel, Etienne, and David, his daughter Brenda (Rob Lardy), his brothers Stan Bradford (Mary) and Ralph Bradford (Emma), his brother-in-law John Shanks (Lorraine), his brother-in-law Dennis Shanks, his sister-in-law Diane Hoff, 4 step sister-in-laws and their husbands, as well as numerous cousins, nephews, nieces and friends. A funeral service will be held at Sacred Heart Parish, 5508 – 48th Ave., Red Deer, AB on Friday May 16, 2008 at 1:30 pm with interment at Alto Reste Cemetery to follow. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Doug's memory to the Palliative Care Unit of the Red Deer Regional Hospital or the Alberta Cancer Foundation. God saw you getting tired And a cure was not to be So He put His arms around you And whispered 'Come with Me.' With tearful eyes We watched you suffer And saw you fade away Although we loved you dearly We could not make you stay. A golden heart stopped beating Hard-working hands at rest God broke our hearts to prove He only takes the best. PERSONAL ALTERNATIVE FUNERAL SERVICES 4779 – 49th Street, Red Deer 341 - 5181 and Calgary 216 – 5111 entrusted with arrangements.