Richard D. Radford, age 86, died at home in Springfield, MO, the evening of Feb. 5, 2015. He was born Sept. 8, 1928 in St. Louis, MO, to the late Jack and Zella Radford. Richard graduated as valedictorian of his Vanduser, MO high school class in 1947. In 1948, he enlisted in the army and served with the 11th Airborne Division assigned to overseas duty with the occupation forces in Sendai, Japan. In 1952 he married Bessie B. (Beth) Rowland of Sikeston, MO, and the couple settled there until Richard was selected for employment with the Missouri State Highway Patrol, graduating from the patrol academy in March 1957. He was stationed in Jefferson City, MO, as a trooper when in 1963 he was selected for full time security for Governor John Dalton. This was the first time the highway patrol had provided protection for the governor, so Richard had to develop procedures as he went along. He maintained an office with the governor in the state capitol and traveled with Governor Dalton for the remainder of his term and with Governor Warren E. Hearnes for two terms. During his time on the Governor's Security Division, Richard was promoted from trooper to sergeant (no corporal rank at that time), and in 1970 he was promoted to lieutenant and transferred to Troop E in Popular Bluff, MO. He was promoted to captain there in 1978 and led the troop until his retirement in 1988 at age 60. Richard loved the Missouri State Highway Patrol and was proud of his 31 years of service. Richard enjoyed many interests such as horseback riding which he introduced to his daughters when they were young girls. He was an avid deer hunter and gardener, growing impressive tomatoes and other vegetables as long as he was able. Richard could fix anything and was a great carpenter, remodeling several homes over the years. He enjoyed raising cattle, family dinners and spending time with his daughters and grandchildren. He is preceded in death by his parents, his wife Beth, brother Jack and several in-laws. He is survived by his daughters, Barbara Radford-Kapp, husband Dennis, Susie Banasik, husband Dan, grandchildren Sean Banasik, Jordan Banasik, Peter Radford-Kapp and Zoe Radford-Kapp, brother-in-law, Floyd Pobst and numerous nieces and nephews. Richard was a good and decent man. He loved and cared for his family and was revered by many. He will be missed. There will be no visitation. A private service at the Missouri Veterans Cemetery will be held at a later date. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Masters Family Assistance Program (www.themastersmo.org) which supports families when a highway patrolman is killed in the line of duty. Condolences may be conveyed through Gorman-Scharpf Funeral Home, www.gormanscharpf.com.