GERALD WAYNE BRIDGER, aka “Rosco” to a bunch of folks, departed this earth to be with his Heavenly Father on December 29, 2014 after a courageous battle with lung cancer.
A Reception in His Honor: 2:30PM Thursday, January 8th at Columbus Avenue Baptist Church Fellowship Hall.
He was born to the late Marvin and Gladys Bridger of Waco Texas. He had traveled many places in life which gave him many stories to tell. He came back to his childhood hometown so that he could set up his final campground. While he had many loves in his life, he was filled with much love and gratitude to his devoted wife, Chompoo “Noi” Bridger , as he said, “for putting up with him” for the last 25 years”.
Although he shared many stories of long ago-rough and tumble tales, which ended with his amazement that he had even lived through it all, he would always come around to telling you about his “Born Again Experience” and the “Everlasting Love of Jesus”. This you could count on! Always with an extreme emphasis on the Lord’s healing powers and forgiveness.
He was most content when he was in nature and with his longtime traveling canine friends. He was passionate about their care and well-being and always wished many thanks to those who helped him in doing this over the years.
He could normally be found taking solace in simply watching over his own nature preserve of towering bamboo and all of “God’s Creatures” from his back yard patio deck. Many days and nights were spent there so that he could, as he put it, “clear his thinking!”
He was the ultimate salesman to the very end. He was happy to have eaten good, lived a full life and penned the following in his final days-
“I will not list my surviving relatives and friends, for they know who they are. I have loved you all very much. I hope you will remember me with kind thoughts. I was born to be and will always be with you in spirit. I choose to be cremated-GERALD WAYNE BRIDGER”
Print Obituary & Condolences
Noi So sorry for your loss Raymond and Sandra
Champoo and family,
Our thoughts and prayers are with each of you during this most difficult time. We pray for peace and guidance for each of you.
Johnny and Margarita Ordonez
Thank you very much. I will be sure to let mom know as well.
Noi, our thoughts & prayers are with you always!
Terri has kept me up on Wayne’s health, & I know it has been very stressful on you but with Gods help , you will be ok in time. A big hug to you , Lv Humbles
Our heartfelt thoughts and prayers are with The Bridger family and friends.
Love, Tom, Stacy, Tommy and Molly
Gerald was a great friend to me. I learned a lot from him. He always had a good story ready. Gerald was devoted to spreading God’s word and always ready to share the story of his salvation. I know the lord has a special place for him.
I will keep the Bridger family in my thoughts and prayers. God bless you all and keep you as you go through this trying time in the loss of your loved one.
It’s with a heavy heart that I begin this.
To lighten the load, I remember when Wayne and I were boys living in a duplex at 10th and Indiana streets. Our mothers were sisters, so as cousins, we did everything together in those days. I was 8 months older but he was the natural leader. Even in those days, he could sell most any idea about how much fun it would be if we only……..I got into more trouble that way.
We raced our wagons down the hill on 10th street. We had so many wrecks, he painted his wagon white and was our ‘ambulance’, although he had the worst wreck when he left the road at the bottom of the hill and fell into the then open ditch we called ‘little creek’. Skinned up and bruised he and I had a rough time getting his wrecked wagon out of the 10 foot deep ditch. After that I rigged up a brake for my wagon.
There was a small peach tree behind the garage. For some reason (or maybe no reason), Wayne climbed up in it and the limb broke. He came crashing down and hit his head on a rock. I ran over to help him and he said he was ‘knocked out’ for a second. I had never seen anyone ‘knocked out’ before. Wayne was always the first at anything.
Wayne did have a colorful life to say the least.
I know he was content with his relationship with his God. It seemed to give him a direction in his life that he might have lacked in earlier times.
I can go on for a long time but I feel better already, remembering Wayne from ‘the old days’. Hope you do too. Remember him in health and vigor and be glad you got to know him.
Don Pilant
Great man that Gerald. Always kind and welcoming to me and my family. It was a privilege to know him the past 20 years. He will be missed.
Noi we are very sad to hear of the loss of your husband. May He Rest in Peace.
MISS YOU ALREADY. YOU WERE A TRULY GREAT MAN. I AM SO LUCKY TO HAVE HAD YOU IN MY LIFE AS A STEP FATHER. YOU NEVER FORCED ANYTHING ON ME AND ALLOWED ME TO LIVE MY LIFE WITH A FEW GESTURES OF GUIDANCE. I COULDNT HAVE ASKED FOR ANYTHING MORE. YOU WERE ALWAYS WHAT I NEEDED YOU TO BE WHEN I NEEDED YOU TO BE IT, AND YOU NEVER HAD ANY QUESTIONS TO ASK. I WAS ALSO FORTUNATE TO HAVE BEEN PART OF A LOT OF YOUR TRAVELS, MAKING MEMORIES AND STORIES THAT WILL ENDURE THROUGH THE TIMES. I ALSO LEARNED HOW TO BECOME A STEP FATHER MYSELF AND AM GRATEFUL FOR THE EXAMPLE YOU SET FOR ME. THANK YOU FOR ACCEPTING ME AS YOUR OWN AND ALWAYS HAVING AND EXTENDED HAND, OR EAR OR SHOULDER OR WHATEVER WAS NEEDED AT THE MOMENT. YOU TOOK ME PLACES AND SHOWED ME THINGS THAT I DONT HTINK I WOULDVE EVER HAD A CHANCE OR WOULD HAVE THOUGHT TO GO ON MY OWN. NOW HERE I AM SITTING AT YOUR OLD DESK DOING YOUR OLD JOB, I AM NOTHING BUT GRATEFUL. MEMORIES OF ROLLING THROUGH TOKIO LOOP, SHUFFLING CARS FROM HERE TO THERE AND ALL THE ANTICS THAT WERE INVOLVED IN DOING SO FLOOD MY MIND. TRUST ME, YOU LIVE ON HERE AS WE RE-TELL YOUR STORIES AND STORIES OF YOU ALMOST EVRYDAY. ALL I CAN REALLY SUM ALL THIS UP TO, IS THAT I LOVE YOU AND AM THANKFUL TO HAVE BEEN BLESSED WITH ALL THE MEMORIES AND MOMENTS YOU CREATED WITH AND FOR ME.
Sorry for the loss. Just got message today Wayne’s passing. Thoughts of our good times we have had in what little time we spent together! This message is sent from his niece Janey also Wayne sister Jessie Ruth.