Edward Birdette Bridges Jr.

Edward B. Bridges Jr, age 85, passed away peacefully on Sunday, July 16, in Soddy Daisy, Tennessee. He is survived by his beloved wife of 60 years, Helen, who resides at the Signal Mountain Senior Living Memory Care Unit and his children Pam (Ray) Janson, Brenda (Patrick Mongoven) Bridges, Gail (Mike) Jenkins, and Eddie (Leah) Bridges, all of Chattanooga. One of the greatest joys of his last year was when his oldest moved to Chattanooga, bringing the family together geographically for the first time since the early 1980s.

Edward, affectionately known as Ed or “Sonny,” was born in Knoxville on March 3, 1938. He spent his childhood there, moving to northeast Ohio with his parents after 8th grade. He graduated from Warren G. Harding High School in Warren, Ohio, in June 1956 and began his career as a draftsman at Peerless Electric on the Monday after graduation. Always a hard worker, he used his spare time to build a house on his own when he was only 20.

Drafted at age 24, he spent just three months in Army basic training as Peerless petitioned that he was needed to continue his work designing the stainless steel-lined mechanical engine motor for submarine nuclear reactors. Afterward, he served 7.5 years of inactive duty. Soon after basic training, he switched jobs to U.S. Stoneware (which was acquired by Norton Company and later by Saint-Gobain) where he spent the rest of his career and steadily progressed to eventually become Plant Manager in Mineral City, Ohio, and then Soddy Daisy, Tennessee.

In 1993 Ed retired from Norton, influenced by the premature passing of his father and some of his father’s siblings and a desire to have time to enjoy his retirement. Remarkably, his retirement lasted thirty years longer than he expected, during which time he traveled with Helen, took care of the many dogs she rescued, and loved on his family with his whole heart. His twelve grandchildren all have abundant fond memories of special times together: Mikel (Leslie) Jenkins, Tyler (Mollie) Boron, Candace (Jason) Hixson, Chad (Savannah Hartman) Boron, Alec (Lisa Romano) Janson, Steve (Julia) Janson, Wilson Blomberg, Noah Jenkins, Charlie Blomberg, Eve Ayers, Maia Blomberg, and Caroline Jenkins. Ed continued his joyful, giving ways with his great grandchildren Max, Layton, Hudson, Samson, Huxley, Hailey, Helen, Peter, and Aiden.

Ed is preceded in death by his mother, Nell Smelcer Bridges; father, Edward B. Bridges Sr; and three younger brothers; Jimmy, Tommy, and Steven who died at birth of Rh disease. He is also survived by Helen’s six brothers and sisters and their spouses, many Bridges family cousins, a dear cousin on his mother’s side, Andrea (Gene) Perkins, and his best friend since first grade, Billy Wilson.

Special thanks to Dr. Kirk Wilcox; Adoration Hospice, especially his caring nurse Sharon; and to his daughter Gail and son-in-law Mike who opened their home to Ed in 2020 when living on his own away from Helen became too hard. Their care added years to his life and an abundance of love to those years.

His family will forever cherish memories of special Christmases, family vacations, his presence at the grandchildren’s sporting events, continuous woodworking and household projects, the devoted care he provided to Helen as she declined due to Alzheimer’s, and a legacy of integrity, commitment, and love.

Ed will be laid to rest at 11:00 am on Monday, July 24, 2023 at the North Chapel of Hamilton Memorial Gardens in a coffin which he - as a perpetual pragmatist, skilled woodworker, and avid do-it-yourselfer - built himself many years ago.

In lieu of flowers, please consider donating to the Humane Society humanesociety.org or McKamey Animal Shelter (mckameyanimalcenter.org/give-in-memory-in-honor/) in honor of the love for animals he and Helen shared.