Ira Clifton Bridges, Jr. -- Merchant Marine

 

Ira Clifton Bridges, Jr.

Ira Clifton Bridges, Jr. was born on April 17, 1923 in the Maple Grove community of Trigg County, Kentucky.  He was the third of four children of Ira Clifton Bridges, Sr. and Flo Templeton Bridges Bridges.  Ira, Sr. was a construction worker and a native of Trigg County and Flo was also a native of Trigg County. Ira, Sr. was a grandson of Drewry Bridges.  Ira, Jr.’s siblings were Morris Dale “M. D.” Bridges, born in 1918 and married Lora Dean Cunningham; Barbara Mae Bridges, born in 1920 and married William Eugene McBride; and Frieda Nell Bridges, born in 1933 and married Eugene Lewis Sumner.

Junior, as he was called, attended grade school in the one-room Maple Grove School and one year of school in Hamburg, Tennessee.  He spent three years at Trigg County High School and went one to graduate from Marshall County High School in 1942.  He went on to attend Murray State College (now University).

World War II was at its height and rather than being drafted, Junior chose to join the Merchant Marines where he attended the Merchant Marine Academy at King’s Point, Long Island, New York. He was assigned to serve on several escort ships to convoys that carried arms and supplies to the European War zones.  The escort ships were not armed and some of their sister ships were sunk during their voyages.
After the war ended, Junior continued his career as a civilian merchant seaman and worked as a deep sea engineer from 1945 to 1970.   He shipped out of many U. S. ports including New York, New Orleans, Galveston, Houston, Panama City and other Atlantic seaports.

For many years, Junior lived in the French Quarter in New Orleans and it was there me met and married his wife, Margaret Frances Church.  They were married on December 18, 1952 at Gulfport, Mississippi.  Frances was born June 11, 1916, the daughter of William Harry Church and Lola Theora Bish Church.  Harry worked as a mechanic and was a native of Wisconsin.  Lola was a housewife and a native of Indiana. Frances had served in the Women’s Army Corps during World War II.  Junior and Frances had no children.

In 1961 Junior returned to his home state of Kentucky and purchased a house in Cadiz in where he lived until his death.  Junior had a tragic death on February 5,1970.  He was returning from an intercoastal voyage from California to Morrisville, New Jersey. He was driving on the New Jersey Turnpike near Edison, New Jersey when he was stricken with a fatal heart attack His body was returned to Trigg County and he was buried in the Drury Bridges Cemetery in the Maple Grove community.  He was 46 years old at the time of his death.  Frances died on June 26, 1980 at the age of 64 and was buried in the Drury Bridges Cemetery.

Frances Church Bridges, wife of Ira, Jr.

Ira Bridges, Jr. tombstone

Ira, Jr. military tombstone

Frances Bridges military tombstone

LINEAGE: (Ira Clifton Bridges, Jr. was the son of Ira Clifton, Sr. and Flo Templeton Bridges Bridges and the grandson of Durwood Stanley and Jane “Jennie” Thomas Bridges.  Durwood Stanley was the sixth child of Drewry and Peachie Ann Tart Bridges. Drewry was the fourth child of William and Mary Thomas Bridges.  William was the fourth child of Drury and Charity Cohoon Bridges.)