Services
Obituary
Ronald DeWayne Bridges, 76, of Garner, passed away Friday, June 7, 2013 at Mercy Medical Center of North Iowa in Mason City.
Memorial services for Ron Bridges will be held at 1:30 PM Saturday, June 15, 2013 at the United Methodist Church, 707 4th Street Southwest in Britt with Pastor Robert Dodge officiating. Following the ceremony there will be a pot luck picnic for family and friends at the Britt Municipal Building, 170 Main Avenue South in Britt.
Ron, the son of DeWayne (Pat) and LaVon (Olinger) Bridges was born June 2, 1937 in rural Dows, Iowa. He received his education in the Dows area.
He was united in marriage to the love of his life on June 12, 1954 falling just 5 days short of their 59th wedding anniversary. They started their life together on a farm near Dows. The vast majority of his life was spent looking through the windshield as an over the road semi driver and working in the construction industry doing everything from pounding nails, pouring concrete to running heavy equipment. Ron was a very intelligent, gifted and talented man who not only enjoyed the challenge of figuring out what was wrong with whatever it was that broke down but the satisfaction of making it work like new again. This was done for family and friends alike.
He spent the last 13 years, until his health would no longer let him, working at Opportunity Village as a taxi bus driver. He was much more than that to the clients he served treating them with the love and respect that was given back to him by each one of them in return.
In Ron’s younger years his hobbies steered more toward the adventures like racing semis and buses. In recent years he enjoyed restoring antique tractors and as always fixing things. The most important things in his life were his loving wife and family supporting them no matter what. His grandchildren and especially his great-grandchildren were his angels here on earth.
Ron is survived by his wife of 59 years Darlene; his five children and their families: Michael (Ruth) Bridges of Garner, Ryan Bridges, Stephanie Willimon, Penny Morris; Danny Bridges of Dows, Roxanne Peterson, Danny Bridges Jr., Shawn Bridges, Samantha Bridges; Connie (Larry) Spieker of Forest City, Ashley Steffen, Nicholas Spieker; Blair Bridges of Garner; Calleen (Tom) Young of Duncan, Benjamin Mehmen, Nicholas Mehman, Gage Young; 16 great-grandchildren.
He was preceded in death by his parents DeWayne (Pat) and LaVon Bridges; father and mother-in-law Earnest and Esther Conrad and son Barry Bridges.