Dr. Earl Bridgewater
June 11, 2022
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Service Details
Dr. Earl Bridgewater, 92 of Des Moines, passed away peacefully with his family by his side on June 11th, 2022.
A Celebration of Life Service will be held on Wednesday, June 15th, at 11:00 a.m. at Wakonda Christian Church, 3938 Fleur Drive, Des Moines, Ia. The family will greet friends on Tuesday, June 14th from 4:30 p.m. – 6:30 p.m. at the church. Earl will be laid to rest with military honors at the Iowa Veterans Cemetery in Van Meter at a later date.
Earl is survived by his loving wife, Ann. In 1955, Earl and Ann McNeill were married. On June 5th, 2022, they celebrated their 67th wedding anniversary. They had three children: David (Cindy) of Norwalk, Gary (Diane) of Johnston, Lisa (Curt) of Urbandale, eleven grandchildren and thirteen great grandchildren. Earl is also survived by a brother, Eldon (Mary) of Blairstown, IA and a sister-in-law, Macy of Des Moines, IA, and brother-in-law LaVerne Lowrance of Maryville, MO. Earl was preceded in death by his, parents, older brother Ralph and younger sister Margaret.
Earl was born in Hopkins, Missouri on May 1, 1930, the son of Ivan & Verda Bridgewater. He grew up on the family farm and received both elementary and secondary education there.
Following his high school graduation, he enrolled in Northwest Missouri State and earned his bachelor’s degree in Social Science in 1955. Subsequently, he earned his Master’s in Educational Administration at Colorado State University in Greeley, Colorado, in 1957 and later his PhD at Iowa State University in Educational Administration.
Earl served in the military during the Korean War from 1952 – 1954.
Dr Earl has been a professional educator for 56 plus years. They included 5-1/2 years in Eagleville and Albany, Missouri, and 37 years in Des Moines beginning as a History and Economics Teacher at North High School and ending as Associate Superintendent in 1995. Other positions in Des Moines were Vice Principal at Washington Irving, Kurtz & Lincoln; Principal at Washington Irving, Brody & East High; and Personnel Director for the Des Moines Schools. From 1996 – 2012 Earl served as a teacher and Administrator for the Iowa Viterbo University Master’s Program, La Crosse, WI. Additionally, he conducted numerous consultant studies for various school districts. For the past 25 years he has served as a member of the Heartland Area Education Board as well as serving as a board member for the Iowa Area Education Agencies for 15 years.
The blueprint for Earl’s life included Faith, Family, Friends, and Education. He will be remembered for his generous heart and playful sense of humor. Also, his love of the St. Louis Cardinals and the Northwest Missouri State University Bearcats. He will be deeply missed by his family.
Memorials may be directed to Wakonda Christian Church.
Condolences may be expressed at www.HamiltonsFuneralHome.com
Kathy Johnson Kahler
06/13/2022
Mr. Bridgewater was my principal all 3 years while I was at East.
He was the best! Always a professional, always had a smile on his face.
I graduated and went 20 years til I saw him again and he still remembered my name, and was genuinely interested in what I had done since I graduated.
I saw him many times the past 20+ years, and he was always cheerful and had that great smile on his face.
He was a true gentleman.
Wayne Bauman
06/13/2022
Earl and I started together when I was in high school and he came to East High as principal following a very difficult time of racial tension. He was what we needed. We continued our journey as I became a teacher in Des Moines and was DMEA President and Chief Negotiator. Earl believed in collaboration between the administration and educators. Finally, I worked for ISEA for 24 years and Heartland AEA was one of my locals that I worked with. Once again, Earl and I were together to work collaboratively for the betterment of education. He not only talked the talk but walked the walk.
I considered him a colleague and a friend.
Mark Grimm
06/13/2022
My condolences.
Jim Bagniewski
06/13/2022
Earl was a model educator, friend, and family man.
I got to know Earl and loved him of great honesty, perseverance and knowledge.
Tedd
06/13/2022
Dr Bridgewater a huge loss so sad to see of his passing. Many great accomplishments he had we last met before I started at Viterbo
Trudy Hodson
06/13/2022
I was so sad to see news of Earl's passing. My husband was a teacher under the principalship of Earl at Brody Junior High for several years. He spoke very highly of Earl and the leadership that he provided for the school. When my husband passed away in 2014, I was so touched that Earl came to the visitation and visited with me personally. He was a man of great character, competence, and compassion. Please accept my humble prayer and sympathy as you mourn his passing. Sincerely, Trudy Hodson (wife of the late John Hodson)