Sidney Ann Bridges was born on June 14, 1938, at about 8:30 on a Tuesday morning, to George Elbert and Opal Tuttle Bridges just south of Houston in a rock house that Grandpa Tuttle had built.
I think it must have been a sunny warm day as James always said they threshed wheat that day. I lived my entire life in or near Houston. God called my soul home and my earthly body died on Aug. 18, 2026. I attended Houston Schools for 12 years, starting to work at International Shoe Company on May 10, 1956, the day I graduated from high school. I worked there until Dec. 28, 1958. On Dec. 31, 1958, I started to work at the Houston Schools as a bookkeeper/treasurer where I worked until retiring on June 30, 2003. I also worked part-time for the school until June 30, 2004.
I made the most important decision of my life by giving my life to Christ when I was 11 and served him until my death. I was preceded in death by my parents; one brother, James; two nephews, Stephen James Bridges and Michael Allen Bridges; my sister, Elizabeth Muriel (Betty) Cantrell; and one great-grand niece, Alexis Moseley.
I am survived by one brother, Franklin and wife, Shirley Bridges of Springfield; three nieces, Barbara and husband, Don Romines of Houston, LaVerne Cantrell of Springfield and Melanie Vaughn of Springfield; one nephew, Frank Bridges Jr. and wife, Amy Tranter of Highland Park, New Jersey; three grand nieces and three grand nephews, two great grand nieces and two great grand nephews, one great great grand nephew, and other relatives and friends.
I enjoyed music, reading, needle crafts and gardening, but the thing I enjoyed most was teaching my 10 and 11 year old Sunday school class and watching them mature as Christians, and being saddened when they failed in their walk with their Lord and Savior. I never had children of my own, but God gave me 225 plus children in Him during the 53 years he allowed me to teach. The greatest joy I ever had was when I would see a child’s eyes light up when they really began to believe in their Lord and Savior. I also enjoyed playing the piano and organ for church for many years. I want you to understand that this was not what saved my soul; but what Ephesians 2:8-9 says, “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith-and this not of yourselves, it is a gift of God—not be work so that no one can boast.”
I also played the piano for the residents at Houston House for several years. I actually took piano lessons so I could play hymns, little did I realize what it might lead to. Many think the nursing home is a sad place to go, in a way it is, but when you see their faces light up when they think you have come to see them or do something for them it always made my day better.
I also became a resident of Houston House in 2017. I would like to say a heartfelt thank you to all the staff that cared for me during my time there. They were kind, considerate, caring and concerned, at all times, whether I was feeling good or sick and needed more care. THANK YOU!
I have had a rich full life as it says in Ephesians 3:20, He has done for me immeasurably more than all I ever asked or imagined. But I have ended one journey and have started a new one that will be more wonderful and last forever.
Funeral services for Sidney will be held at 1 p.m. Monday, August 24, 2026, at the First Christian Church in Houston. A visitation will be held from noon to 1 p.m. Interment will be at Pine Lawn Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions in Sidney’s name may be made to Murr Cemetery, Oak Hill Cemetery, or the Texas County Library. Arrangements entrusted to Evans Funeral Home. Online condolences may be left at www.evansfh.com.
