William Bridge

January 22, 1942 – March 6, 2015

William John Bridge, 73, of Mathews County, Virginia, departed this life peacefully, with his loving family around him, on Friday, March 6, after a sudden illness.

He is survived by his two children, William James Bridge of New York City, and Allison Bridge Robins and her husband Joe and two grandsons – James Walter and Jason Allan, of Mathews County; his former wife, Christine Ober Bridge Taylor, with whom he remained best friends, and her husband Wayne Taylor, of Mathews County; his sister, Beverly Cramer of Sturgis, Michigan; his brother, David Bridge and his wife Rita, of Indianapolis; and his extended family including Constance Ober and husband Carlton Brooks of Cumberland County, Virginia; Diane Ober and husband John Alexander of Charlottesville, Virginia; Lynne Ober Daly and husband Frank of Aiken, South Carolina, and Jonathan Ober and wife Kristen of Mathews County, as well as many nieces and nephews. They will cherish his memory and share his stories for generations to come.

Bill was born in Ft. Wayne, Indiana and grew up in a small town nearby. He was high school valedictorian and after graduation, served two years active duty in the U.S. Navy aboard the USS Talbot County (LST-1153) based in Norfolk. He received an Honorable Discharge in 1965 and served three more years in the Navy Reserve.

He returned to Indiana in 1962 and worked as a machinist at International Harvester while attending Indiana University in Bloomington, where he was selected as a member of the Phi Beta Kappa Society. He graduated with high distinction in economics in 1967 and returned to Virginia to work with the Norfolk Redevelopment and Housing Authority.

He left in 1973 to attend law school at the College of William and Mary, graduating in the top third of his class in 1975. He then returned to work on urban planning at the Housing Authority for two years before leaving to establish a private law practice in Williamsburg. In 1980, he joined the Norfolk City Attorney's office as Assistant City Attorney.

He joined the office of the Virginia Attorney General in 1982, where he served as Senior Assistant Attorney General under Attorney General Gerald L. Baliles. In 1986, he joined the Clerk's Office at the Virginia State Corporation Commission, and was appointed as Clerk of the Commission in 1990.

He retired to the private practice of law in Mathews County in 1998. He was a member of the Mathews Rotary Club and a strong supporter of the Mathews High School crew team, which included his son and daughter, his niece and two nephews.

He was a voracious reader and had a home library of nearly 1,000 volumes, on favorite topics of history, philosophy, science and biography. His Sunday ritual for more than forty years had been to rise early, get coffee, and go out for five or six different newspapers, after which he quickly completed the New York Times crossword puzzle. He loved a good cigar, watching Indiana basketball, listening to jazz, watching classic movies and spending time with his family – especially his young grandsons.

The family is grateful to the Mathews Volunteer Rescue Squad, and to the doctors, nurses and staff at the Riverside Walter Reed Hospital emergency room in Gloucester for their compassionate expertise in our time of need.

Bill's remains will be buried at sea in a U.S. Navy ceremony at a later date. There will be a memorial service to celebrate his life at the Foster-Faulkner Funeral Home at 160 Main Street in Mathews County at 3:00 p.m. on Sunday, March 29, followed by a reception at nearby Salem United Methodist Church. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that you consider a donation to the Mathews Volunteer Rescue Squad, 94 Cricket Hill Road, P. O. Box 723, Mathews, VA 23109 or to Our Military Kids, Inc. at ourmilitarykids.org