Longtime Grayson County Coroner Joe Brad Hudson has retired.
Hudson, 55, who has served as coroner since February 2006, said he is retiring because he wants to ensure his family is financially comfortable, and he furthermore fulfilled a commitment he made to his father.
“I’m just trying to take care of my family,” Hudson told K105.
By retiring, Hudson said he is jumpstarting his post-career retirement income.
“The rules are that because I was (an) elected (official), then I have to resign the position in order to get my retirement started,” Hudson said.
Hudson also noted that he has fulfilled a promise he made to his father, Ronald Hudson, who served as Grayson County Coroner from 1977 until his death in February 2006.
(Ronald Hudson, when Joe Brad served as sheriff between 1998 and 2001, was forced to step down as coroner due to nepotism laws. Clay Vincent served as coroner during this time and Ronald served as deputy coroner.)
Joe Brad, who first began working for the coroner’s office in the early 90s, was appointed to replace his father upon his death. He finished Ronald’s term, which ended in December 2006.
“I was obligated to my dad before he died,” Joe Brad said. “He asked, ‘Can you handle the coroner’s office?’ I said, ‘I can.’ My due diligence for my dad was to finish his term.”
Which Joe Brad did, and then served another 18 years as coroner.
“I feel like I’ve done all I can do for the county. I put my time in. (The end of my career) has to come sometime. Twenty-seven years is a long time. If I haven’t done by due diligence for the county, I don’t know who has. I’ve done what I told my dad I’d do.” Joe Brad stated.
Selected by Grayson County Judge-Executive Kevin Henderson to replace Joe Brad as Interim Grayson County Coroner was longtime deputy coroner, Larry Holeman.
Holeman has been with the Grayson County Coroner’s Office since October 2003, when he began transporting bodies to Louisville for autopsy for Ronald. Joe Brad hired Holeman as deputy coroner in 2007, he said.
“Larry is just a great person,” Joe Brad said about Holeman when he earned his Master Coroner designation in April 2021. “He knows how to be compassionate with people. He has been in every facet of death of dying for the longest time. He’s very knowledgeable, and that’s what makes him a great deputy coroner. He knows how to investigate (and) he knows how to conduct himself. He’s very thorough and thoughtful, and makes a great asset to the coroner’s office.”
To receive the prestigious designation, Holeman received certification from the Department of Criminal Justice Training by completing five core coroner’s courses, including Coroner’s Office Administration and Basic Mass Fatality Planning, in addition to completing at least 300 postmortem examinations. Holeman also fulfilled length of service and continuing education requirements.
Although there remains about 19 months on Joe Brad’s term, Holeman will serve as interim coroner for the remainder of the year. A special election will be held in November 2024, with the victor entering office in January 2025.
“The local Republican Party will pick a nominee that they want to place on the ballot for the November election,” Henderson said. “The local Democratic Party also has the same process if they choose to put someone on the ballot.”
The coroner’s office is also staffed by Deputy Coroners Kevin Pharis and James Embry.
(Headline photo: Newly retired Grayson Co. Coroner Joe Brad Hudson)
By Ken Howlett, News Director
Contact Ken at ken@k105.com
