Roscoe Conklin Bridges, (R.C. Bridges, Jr.) left this earthly place to dwell in the heavens above on Friday, July 15, 2011 after an extended illness. He was born May 27, 1923 on a farm in the town of Mooresboro, NC, to the late R.C.Bridges, Sr. and Nola Greene Bridges.
Growing up on a farm with eight brothers and sisters, they had many adventures, like riding a wagon down Luckadoo Hill, shooting rats by the barn, and pulling snakes from the banks of Bridges Twin Lakes.
R.C. enlisted in the NAVY and was stationed on USS Veosole, a Radar Picket Destroyer in WWII. While en route to Tokyo in 1945 the A-Bombs were dropped to end the war. Within three days R.C. and some of his shipmates borrowed a truck and went into ground Zero. They went into a Bank which only had stairs still standing. Looking out and seeing nothing but devastation would stay with him for the rest of his life.
After the War he studied at the National Radio Institute and went into the electronics repair business in 1948. Later he and his wife Louise formed a business called Bridges Radio and TV, Inc. He would own and operate this business until 1986, when visions he saw in the war came back to haunt him, and he had to retire. Barry Bridges, one of his twin sons then took over the business at that time. It still is in business at present.
He loved playing golf any chance he could. He would also just go over to the Shelby City Park golf course and walk and hunt golf balls. When he came home he would have 60-80 golf balls stuffed in his shirt. At one point he had collected about 400-500 golf balls.
He was preceded in death by brothers Monroe Bridges, Earl Bridges, Wade Bridges, Wake Bridges, Ralph Bridges, and sister Agnes Bridges Huggins.
He is survived by two sisters, Betty Lou Bridges of Mooresboro, and Nell Bridges Matheny of Cliffside. Also, he leaves his wife of 68 years Louise Bridges of the home in Shelby, sons Bobby Bridges and twins Barry Bridges of the home in Shelby, and Benny S. Bridges and wife Sandra of Charlotte, NC, and Tom Bridges and wife Carol, of Carolina Beach, NC.
He is survived by grandchildren Chris Bridges and wife Michelle of Charlotte, NC, Carrie Bridges Daley and her husband Jonathan of Charlotte, NC, Tommy Bridges and his wife Jen, of Wilmington, NC, and Josey Bridges Snyder and husband John of Tucker, Georgia.
Visitation is at 2 PM at Cecil Burton Funeral Home, and Memorial services will be at 3 PM Tuesday at Cecil Burton Funeral Home.
Internment will follow the service at Cleveland Memorial Park in Boiling Springs, NC.
Memorials can be made to Levine Cancer Institute, American Diabetes, or the charity of one’s choice.