Francis "Mike" Miles Radigan

Radigan, Francis Miles "Mike" 91, of St. Petersburg, died Saturday, November 16, 2013, at Bon Secours Place. Born in Bay City, Michigan, the youngest of seven children of Andrew and Catherine Rogers Radigan. He was preceded in death by his brothers, John and Terrance; his sisters, Mary, Ann, Virginia, and Margaret. He is survived by his wife of 61 years, Marion Anstett Radigan; son, Charles (Marla) Radigan of St.Petersburg; sister-in-law, Vivian Radigan; step-granddaughter, Alanna Morrison; and many nieces and nephews. Mike served in World War II as a non-commissioned officer assigned to the Air Transport Command. He served for three years in Scotland which was a staging area for American planes arriving for combat in the European war zone. An irony is that when it was his time to return to the United States after the war, he sailed on a Liberty Ship which took 16 days to cross the Atlantic. He said that he lost 16 pounds on the trip. After that, he was never interested in a cruise liner vacation. After his return, he located in Washington, DC where he graduated from Columbus University School of Law (now part of Catholic University). While attending law school, he also worked in the office of Senator Arthur H. Vanderberg of Michigan. At the Senate office building he met Marion Anstett who worked for Senator Milton R. Young of North Dakota. They were married in Fargo, North Dakota on June 30, 1952. They celebrated their 61st anniversary this year. After graduation from law school, he worked on Connecticut Avenue in Washington for the National Mobile Home Association. In 1959 the family moved to Chicago, where he headed the National Mobile Home Association. In 1976, they moved to St. Petersburg, Florida where Mike served as president of the Florida Recreational Vehicle Institute and later worked as Property Manager for the City of St. Peterburg until his retirement in 1990. He was a member of the Exchange Club of Northeast St. Petersburg and served for two years as its President. He helped in the inauguration of Ribfest which is still held in Vinoy Park in November. Proceeds of the Ribfest go to help children charities. They have donated over three million dollars to All Children's Hospital. He also edited and published the award winning "Northeast Weekly Exchange" for twenty five years. He was a member of Feather Sound Country Club where he and his wife, Marion, enjoyed swimming early every morning during the summer months and made a daily trip to the Long Center for their daily indoor swim during the fall and winter months. He was also a member of Holy Family Catholic Church where he served as president of the Men's Club. Mike was an avid Florida State Seminoles fan and was a long time member of the Pinellas Seminoles Booster Club. He also enjoyed attending the Tampa Bay Rays games. In lieu of flowers, the family has requested donations may be made in his memory to Suncoast Hospice, 5771 Roosevelt Blvd, Clearwater, FL 33760, http://www.thehospicefoundation.org/page.aspx?pid=1254, or Holy Family Catholic Church, 200 - 78th Avenue NE, St. Petersburg, FL 33702.