Ruth Thomson Bridge, 96

Avid bird watcher and gardener

Published February 28, 2019

NORTH ANDOVER — Ruth Thomson Bridge, 96, formerly of Wakefield, died on Thursday, November 29, 2018 at the Edgewood Lifecare Community in North Andover, surrounded by her family.

Born in Jacksonville, Illinois on January 22, 1922, she was the daughter of the late William E. Thomson and Mary E. (Willard) Thomson. She was a graduate of MacMurray College and moved to Massachusetts to teach at Randolph High School. Her brother, the late Kenneth W. Thomson and wife Hilda C. Thomson of Wakefield, welcomed her to the area.

Ruth Bridge was the wife of the late Richard H. Bridge. She is survived by her children: Cynthia L. Bridge and her husband Douglas Berch of Haslett, Mich., Douglas T. Bridge and his wife Eileen E. Bridge of Wakefield, and Deborah Bridge Delman and her husband Jonathan Delman of Stoneham, and by her grandchildren Peter Smith-Vondras and his wife Gemma of Arlington, and Edith M. and Margot J. Bridge of Wakefield. Ruth was the last surviving of six siblings, and kept in close touch with her local relatives and Illinois clan as a loving sister and aunt.

Mrs. Bridge was an avid bird watcher and gardener with an artistic sensibility. She was a member of the Wakefield Arts and Crafts Society, an active member of the First Baptist Church, beginning in 1950, and a Cub Scout Den Mother for Pack 712 in the mid-60s. Her primary work involved caring for her children and then for six relatives as they aged. In the late ‘70s she worked as a secretary at her husband’s architectural firm Knight, Bagge and Anderson. Both timid yet eager for adventure, she enjoyed camping, and traveled with family and friends to Europe, China and Japan. Those who know her well might remember her earnest curiosity about others, her feisty temper, and her thorough enjoyment of family pranks and fun.

A memorial service will be held in the First Parish Congregational Church, Covell Chapel, 1 Church St., Wakefield on Saturday March 9 at 2 p.m. Relatives and friends are invited to attend. Arrangements in the care of the McDonald Funeral Home, Wakefield.

Memorial contributions may be made to the Massachusetts Audubon Society or the First Baptist Church of Wakefield Building Fund.

Memorial contributions may be made to the Massachusetts Audubon Society or the First Baptist Church of Wakefield Building Fund. (Checks made payable to the “First Baptist Fire Relief Fund” may be mailed c/o The Savings Bank, 357 Main St., Wakefield, MA 01880.)