Douglas Eugene Bradford passed away on April 20, 2026, in Covington, Louisiana, with family at his side. He was 83 years old.

Known variously as Doug, Mr. Doug, Uncle Doug, Big Doug, Daddy Doug, and Granddad, he was born on June 21, 1942, in Laurel, Mississippi.  He was the only child of Dorothy Louise (nee Brogan) and Curtis Eugene Bradford.  After graduating from Laurel High School at the age of 17, he attended the University of Southern Mississippi where he earned a degree in Geology. He was recruited for a graduate fellowship by Louisiana State University and moved to Baton Rouge where he was ‘paid to learn,’ which he considered a tremendous honor.  During this time, Doug spent a summer mapping the geological features of a quadrangle of jungle near Cuilco, Guatemala, and told tales about his adventures there for the rest of his life. His maps and research were published by the Instituto Geográfico Nacional in 1968. 

While at LSU, Doug met his future wife, Linda Laudermilk. As newlyweds, Doug and Linda lived in New Orleans while he learned oil and gas exploration at Amoco, again proudly getting paid to learn. Building on that knowledge, he started his own exploration company, and the couple settled in Covington, Louisiana. In the 1990s, Doug joined the Department of Environmental Quality, notably working on the cleanup of the Livingston, LA train derailment. After retiring from DEQ, Doug consulted on various environmental cleanup projects.

Doug was devoted to family - of birth, marriage, and choice.  Daughter Elizabeth Margaret was born in 1977, and son Douglas Curtis was born in 1982.  Doug cherished his family which grew to include Elizabeth’s husband, Peter and their son, Brogan Alexander; and Douglas’s wife, Liubov. His commitment and generosity extended to in-laws, cousins, and children’s friends, who he welcomed into the family for weekends, holidays, and the occasional hurricane.  Doug gave back to his community in countless ways, including serving on the Vestry at Christ Episcopal Church, volunteering at Christ Episcopal School and St. Scholastica Academy, and through membership in the (grand)Dad’s Club at St. Peter’s School, and the New Orleans Geological Society where he served as president.

Doug believed that it was impossible to do a good job sitting down, and as a result was always in motion. Among his many hobbies were tinkering, woodworking, lending a helping hand to friends and family, and telling truly terribly ‘dad’ jokes. Despite spending formative teenage years as a deputy sheriff, Doug loved a good bit of mischief.  His children have it on good authority that he was personally asked to stay out of Yellowstone National Park by the Park Service. 

Doug is survived by his wife of 58 years, Linda Laudermilk Bradford, as well as his son Douglas and daughter-in-law Liubov, his daughter Elizabeth and son-in-law Peter McGough, his grandson Brogan McGough, his brother-in-law Louis Laudermilk, many nieces and nephews, fourteen first cousins, extended family, cherished friends, and a handful of cats. 

A celebration of life will be held at a future date.

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