He was born in Centralia, Wash., Feb. 18, 1950, to Cecil and Evelyn (Thayer) Bridges. He graduated from W. F. West High School in 1968, and went on to earn his associate degree in civil engineering from Centralia College.
Jim was a loving husband, father, grandfather, brother and uncle. He was truly selfless, and gave of himself freely. He was a firefighter with District 5 for 36 years, a member of the Fraternal Order of Eagles for 47 years, a Chehalis Girl’s Fast Pitch coach, and a Civil Engineer with Chehalis Public Works for 30 years.
He enjoyed riding ATVs with his grandchildren, was a log leaper/jeeper in his early years, and later on was an avid collector of classic cars, a passion that began in his youth when he worked on cars with his dad. He was a great storyteller and was known to tell some wild tales. Jim’s motto was, “Cancer Sucks; In God We Trust!”
Jim is survived by his loving wife of 45 years, Ruth; daughters, Tobi (Mike) Dawes and Kaci (Mike) Anchors; grandchildren, Colton and McKayla Dawes and Landon and Logan Anchors; sister, Deb (Phil) Schraeder; nephews, Chad and Justin Schraeder; and numerous other family members and friends.
Jim’s family especially thanks Dr. Byrd and Dr. Jiang; the staff at Providence Regional Cancer System in Centralia, the Cowlitz Indian Tribe for their care, the Doctors and third floor staff at Providence St. Peter Hospital in Olympia and Jim’s dear friends, Pat Santee and Charlie Ford.
Per Jim’s wishes, he will be cremated with a copy of his obituary in hand. His family will host a celebration of his life, to be announced at a later date.
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