Nita Delores Bridgeman

After her parents died, mom went to live with her big sister, Louise in Spooners Hill, St. Michael. She attended Wesley Hall Girls’ School and upon completion, took up needlework.

Mom met her future husband, our father Timothy Bridgeman when she was 15 and he was 19. Mom has always been a voracious reader. The story is told that when dad first visited mom at her home, mom refused to put down a book she was reading and basically ignored dad for the duration of his visit. Ever the determined one, dad kept visiting mom at her home and eventually won her hand in marriage, which took place on December 12, 1946. Their union would last 74 years before dad departed for Heaven a little over two years ago at the age of 97. It is said that perseverance seldom fails, and being bitten by

the love bug certainly didn’t hurt dad’s cause either.

The new couple took up residence in Station Hill, St. Michael at dad’s mother’s house, the one everyone affectionately called Gran. Mom was now a full-time housewife. Mom gave birth to first-born Winslow one year later, followed by Trevor in 1948.

In the early 1950’s, our family was living in Fitts Village having relocated from Station Hill via Dean’s Village. First daughter Marva was born in 1950; Randy followed two years later, then Betty in 1954, Juanita the next year later and last Ronald, born in 1959. Our family was now complete.

The early days were difficult as dad was the sole breadwinner. However, mom was very creative and thrifty and found ways to supplement the family’s income. For example, mom attended the local handicraft center to enhance her skills in this field. Mom was then able to make embroidered handkerchiefs, handbags and wall decorations which she sold. The sale proceeds would be used to help meet household needs.

In addition, mom made dresses for the girls in our family and shirts for the boys, thus saving money which would normally be spent on clothing. Mom didn’t stop there. Along with dad and the older children, a kitchen garden was started, many different vegetables were planted, nurtured, harvested and sold to vendors. Again, profits were used to offset family expenses.

From her childhood years, mom cherished the dream of becoming a nurse. In order to test herself to see if she was suited to become one, mom memorized a poem named The Curfew, which contained thirty-two verses! She reasoned that if she could remember the verses for any length of time, she should be able

to retain knowledge and information gained from lectures and classroom instruction.

To this end, mom enrolled in the Barbados Maternity Hospital to receive training in Midwifery which subsequently became her specialty. Having successfully completed the program, mom was hired by the Queen Elizabeth Hospital as a full-time nurse. Her dream had come true. From the age of about ten, dad had a dream as well which was to live in the US. Through a colleague, mom was able to learn about a hospital named St. James located in Newark, NJ which had vacancies in the Midwifery department. Once contact was made with the hospital, and an application submitted, mom received a letter in the affirmative offering her a position in her specialty. The planning process to relocate our family to the US began in earnest. By August, 1968, our family had taken up residence in Brooklyn, NY.

Mom was saved during her teenage years and it can be said that she practiced what she preached throughout the 95 years which God gave her. She was a kind-hearted person, friendly pleasant and quite hospitable. Her advice given to anyone on various matters was always of the highest order. Mom had a voracious appetite for reading and could recall titles and stories of books which she had read as a teenager. Her memory was astounding. Throughout her life, she was able to recite many poems which she had memorized as a younger person. Even towards the end of her life, mom had committed to

re-reading childhood favorites such as the Biggles collection authored by W.E. Johns.

Another hobby of mom’s was photography. She once won a Brownie camera and the rest is history, as the saying goes. More than 25 photo albums chronicling decades of our family’s history plus hundreds of loose pictures awaiting a permanent home, now decorate a TV cabinet in the den. To say that mom loved gardening would be an understatement. She possessed the proverbial green thumb. Around her home were flowers of all kinds, fruit trees and vegetables. Mom enjoyed sharing plant cuttings with friends,

relatives and neighbors, in order for them to grow their own trees. She was a giving person to say the least.

Looking back, it could be said that mom lived a full life in the years God granted her. She loved God, her children and family, friends and people in general. She was an active and devoted member of the Gospel Hall church, first in the Brooklyn, NY branch and after relocation, Orlando, Fl.

Along with dad, mom raised seven children, graduated from Felician College at age fifty-three and became a Registered nurse, a short while afterward. She is survived by six children, thirteen grandchildren, twelve great-grandchildren, two sons-in-law, three daughters-in-law, several nephews and nieces and many friends, too numerous to mention.

A visitation will occur Wednesday, July 19, 2023 from 10:00 AM to 11:00 AM, 1295 Saxon Blvd, Orange City, FL 32763.

A funeral service for Nita will be held Wednesday, July 19, 2023 from 11:00 AM to 12:00 PM at Deltona Memorial Funeral Home, 1295 Saxon Blvd, Orange City, FL 32763.

A committal service will occur Wednesday, July 19, 2023 from 12:30 PM to 1:00 PM at Deltona Memorial Gardens, 1295 Saxon Blvd, Orange City, FL 32763.

A reception will occur Wednesday, July 19, 2023 from 1:00 PM to 2:00 PM, 1295 Saxon Blvd, Orange City, FL 32763.

Please use the following link to view the service live. https://youtube.com/live/WxiQBIFc4Ig?feature=share

https://youtube.com/live/sK9zinjPd6o?feature=share

Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.deltonamemorialfuneralhome.com for the Bridgeman family.