Obituary of Alton Elison "Granddaddy" Bridger ALTON ELISON BRIDGER Virginian-Pilot, The (Norfolk, VA) - September 24, 2003 Alton Elison "Granddaddy" Bridger, 98, of Lake Cohoon, passed away Sept. 22, 2003 at home with his son and daughter-in-law. He was the widower of Abbie C. Bridger and son of the late James Washington Bridger and Lillie Mae Holland Bridger. Born in Isle of Wight County, he resided in Chesapeake until 1990. He retired from the Ford Motor Co. in 1967 and was a charter member of United Auto Workers, Local 919. Granddaddy was a member of the Woodland Heights Baptist Church of Chesapeake where he was very involved in teaching teenagers and young men for more than 50 years. He also served on various committees and the body of deacons. He was elected deacon emeritus in 1988. At his passing, Granddaddy was a member of First Baptist Church in Suffolk, where he continued to teach a "bunch of kids" - 75-year-old men. His church and his service to God were the main center posts of his life. Granddaddy was instrumental in the formation of Boy Scout Troop 42 of the Tidewater Council in 1946 and had been a registered scouter for 57 years. He served as Troop 42's scoutmaster for many years before joining the Elizabeth River District Commissioner's staff. He was one of the first men in Virginia to receive the Good Shepherd Award from the BSA. He was given the Silver Beaver Award, the highest award that a local scout council man can make for service. He truly loved working with and helping young boys develop into productive good citizens. Scouting was another center post in his tent of life. He was an avid outdoorsman and loved bird hunting and fishing, which he continued to do at Lake Cohoon until his 95th year. He was an excellent woodcarver and presented over 25 carved Eagle heads to the Eagle Scouts of Troop 42. He is survived by a son and daughter-in-law, Harold and Barbara Bridger of Suffolk; three grandchildren, Dean Bridger and wife Georgette and Dennis Bridger and wife Jenny, all of Suffolk and Diane Hawkins and husband Jess of Morehead City, N.C.; great-grandchildren, Dean Bridger Jr. and wife Sametria of Suffolk, Jennifer Kasey Bridger of Richmond, Chelsea and Cory Bridger of Suffolk, Leigh and Mari Hawkins of Morehead City, Aaron and Andrew Raike of Suffolk; and great-great-granddaughter, June Nicole Shand of Richmond. The family will receive friends at First Baptist Church of Suffolk, 237 N. Main St., Thursday from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. A celebration of his life and memorial service will be held Friday at 7 p.m. by the Rev. Dr. David H. Chauncey and the Rev. Charles W. Thompson in the church. Burial will be private. R.W. Baker and Co. Funeral Home and Crematory is serving the family. Edition: FINAL Page: B9 Copyright (c) 2003 The Virginian-Pilot ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ––– Narrative Summary of the Obituary ––– Alton Elison "Granddaddy" Bridger, 98, of Lake Cohoon, died 22 September 2003 at home, remembered for decades of church teaching, Boy Scout leadership, and devotion to youth. A memorial service for Alton Elison Bridger was held at First Baptist Church of Suffolk on 26 September 2003, with Rev. Dr. David H. Chauncey and Rev. Charles W. Thompson officiating; burial was private. ––– Transcript ––– ALTON ELISON BRIDGER Virginian-Pilot, The (Norfolk, VA) - September 24, 2003 Alton Elison "Granddaddy" Bridger, 98, of Lake Cohoon, passed away Sept. 22, 2003, at home with his son and daughter-in-law. He was the widower of Abbie C. Bridger and son of the late James Washington Bridger and Lillie Mae Holland Bridger. Born in Isle of Wight County, he resided in Chesapeake until 1990. He retired from the Ford Motor Co. in 1967 and was a charter member of United Auto Workers, Local 919. Granddaddy was a member of the Woodland Heights Baptist Church of Chesapeake where he was very involved in teaching teenagers and young men for more than 50 years. He also served on various committees and the body of deacons. He was elected deacon emeritus in 1988. At his passing, Granddaddy was a member of First Baptist Church in Suffolk, where he continued to teach a "bunch of kids" - 75-year-old men. His church and his service to God were the main center posts of his life. Granddaddy was instrumental in the formation of Boy Scout Troop 42 of the Tidewater Council in 1946 and had been a registered scouter for 57 years. He served as Troop 42's scoutmaster for many years before joining the Elizabeth River District Commissioner's staff. He was one of the first men in Virginia to receive the Good Shepherd Award from the BSA. He was given the Silver Beaver Award, the highest award that a local scout council can make for service. He truly loved working with and helping young boys develop into productive good citizens. Scouting was another center post in his tent of life. He was an avid outdoorsman and loved bird hunting and fishing, which he continued to do at Lake Cohoon until his 95th year. He was an excellent woodcarver and presented over 25 carved Eagle heads to the Eagle Scouts of Troop 42. He is survived by a son and daughter-in-law, Harold and Barbara Bridger of Suffolk; three grandchildren, Dean Bridger and wife Georgette and Dennis Bridger and wife Jenny, all of Suffolk, and Diane Hawkins and husband Jess of Morehead City, N.C.; great-grandchildren, Dean Bridger Jr. and wife Sametria of Suffolk, Jennifer Kasey Bridger of Richmond, Chelsea and Cory Bridger of Suffolk, Leigh and Mari Hawkins of Morehead City, Aaron and Andrew Raike of Suffolk; and great-great-granddaughter, June Nicole Shand of Richmond. The family will receive friends at First Baptist Church of Suffolk, 237 N. Main St., Thursday from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. A celebration of his life and memorial service will be held Friday at 7 p.m. by the Rev. Dr. David H. Chauncey and the Rev. Charles W. Thompson in the church. Burial will be private. R.W. Baker and Co. Funeral Home and Crematory is serving the family. ––– Vital Statistics ––– |-------------------------------------------------| | Name | Alton Elison "Granddaddy" Bridger | |-------|-----------------------------------------| | Age | 98 | | Birth | 1905 (estimated); Isle of Wight County | | Death | 22 September 2003; Lake Cohoon, at home | |-------------------------------------------------| ––– Table of Relationships ––– |--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | Name | Relationship | Residence | |-----------------------------------|----------------------------|---------------------| | Alton Elison "Granddaddy" Bridger | Decedent | Lake Cohoon | | Abbie C. Bridger | Spouse (predeceased) | Not stated | | James Washington Bridger | Father (predeceased) | Not stated | | Lillie Mae Holland Bridger | Mother (predeceased) | Not stated | | Harold Bridger | Son | Suffolk | | Barbara Bridger | Daughter-in-law | Suffolk | | Dean Bridger | Grandson | Suffolk | | Georgette Bridger | Granddaughter-in-law | Suffolk | | Dennis Bridger | Grandson | Suffolk | | Jenny Bridger | Granddaughter-in-law | Suffolk | | Diane Hawkins | Granddaughter | Morehead City, N.C. | | Jess Hawkins | Grandson-in-law | Morehead City, N.C. | | Dean Bridger Jr. | Great-grandson | Suffolk | | Sametria Bridger | Great-granddaughter-in-law | Suffolk | | Jennifer Kasey Bridger | Great-granddaughter | Richmond | | Chelsea Bridger | Great-granddaughter | Suffolk | | Cory Bridger | Great-grandson | Suffolk | | Leigh Hawkins | Great-granddaughter | Morehead City, N.C. | | Mari Hawkins | Great-granddaughter | Morehead City, N.C. | | Aaron Raike | Great-grandson | Suffolk | | Andrew Raike | Great-grandson | Suffolk | | June Nicole Shand | Great-great-granddaughter | Richmond | | Rev. Dr. David H. Chauncey | Officiant | Not stated | | Rev. Charles W. Thompson | Officiant | Not stated | |--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| ––– Publication Details ––– |---------------------------------| | Field | Value | |----------|----------------------| | Location | Norfolk, Virginia | | Name | Virginian-Pilot, The | | Date | 24 September 2003 | | Edition | FINAL | | Section | B | | Page | B9 | |---------------------------------| ––– Other Relevant Information ––– • Retired from the Ford Motor Co. in 1967. • Charter member of United Auto Workers, Local 919. • Member of Woodland Heights Baptist Church in Chesapeake. • Taught teenagers and young men in church for more than 50 years. • Served on various church committees and the body of deacons. • Elected deacon emeritus in 1988. • Member of First Baptist Church in Suffolk at his passing. • Continued to teach older men in Sunday school at First Baptist Church. • Helped form Boy Scout Troop 42 of the Tidewater Council in 1946. • Registered scouter for 57 years. • Served as scoutmaster of Troop 42 for many years. • Served on Elizabeth River District Commissioner's staff. • Among the first men in Virginia to receive the Good Shepherd Award from BSA. • Received the Silver Beaver Award for service to Scouting. • Avid outdoorsman who enjoyed bird hunting and fishing. • Continued hunting and fishing at Lake Cohoon until age 95. • Skilled woodcarver who made over 25 carved Eagle heads for Eagle Scouts of Troop 42. [See also: https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/184395422/alton-elison-bridger https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/184395366/abbie_c-bridger (spouse) https://www.findagrave.com/cemetery/50666/holly-lawn-cemetery ] [Contributed by Bruce Saunders, bs4403@verizon.net] --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools may have contributed to the creation of this text. Please verify critical information, as AI-generated content can include errors.] [This file is https://go-stp.com/BruceObituaries/ShowText.html?Bridger, Alton Elison.txt]