William Bridges

Passed 02/28/2024

Obituary For William Bridges

Mr. William Donald Bridges, 94 of 124 Bridges Circle Kings Mountain, NC was born March 14, 1929, in Earl, NC to the late Joseph and Senora Bridges. He was the 12th of 15 children born of this union – all of whom preceded him in death. He left a legacy of love and light as he departed this earthly life on Wednesday, February 28, 2024 at Novant Health, Charlotte, NC.

William or “Bill” as he was affectionately known graduated from Washington High School in Shelby, NC. He was a standout basketball player that helped lead a six-member team to the State Championship. William served in the United States Army during the Korean War. He was a Radio Operator in the U.S. Army Signal Corps (USASC) where he was elevated to the rank of Sergeant. William would later relocate to New York City. He worked in the automotive manufacturing industry before joining plastic manufacturer, Minigrip.

Black History Month was always a time of great pride as he shared the story of how he helped design the first re-closeable seal for the commonly used plastic bag alongside his nephew, Joseph Borders. Although he was never formally recognized for his contribution, he was extremely proud of his nephew’s accomplishment as an African American inventor. William later became a New York City Metropolitan Transit Authority (MTA) Bus Operator until his retirement.

William met, fell in love, and eventually married his partner-in-love and bride, Mary. He would often say he never truly lived until meeting her. Together they raised Mary’s three children from previous marriages – Chris, Vivian, and Ray. “Bill” and Mary shared a one-of-a-kind love story - if you saw one, you undoubtedly knew the other wasn’t far behind. Bill remained a loving and devoted husband until the love of his life drew her last breath 51 years later in 2011. Bill and Mary purchased a home in Teaneck, NJ where they remained until retiring to Kings Mountain, NC where they restored the family home. Shortly thereafter, they joined Washington Missionary Baptist Church where they continued to faithfully serve.

William loved to bowl, travel, frequent casinos, and spend quality time with family and friends. During their time together, he and Mary were also great supporters of Howard University where their granddaughter, LaShawn, attended and was a member of the band. They were affectionately known as “Grandma & Grandpa” and looked forward to the HU Homecoming activities each year! A man of many interests, William enjoyed political commentary and was an avid sports fan to include basketball, football, tennis, golf, and bowling. He would later rekindle the love of bowling and help establish a church Bowling Ministry for the elder members of the church. He was known for his generosity – often treating the team to lunch or dinner after playing.

William cherished his family deeply and felt immense pride in upholding his parents’ legacy and traditions. He is survived by his own legacy - daughter, Vivian P. Green (Tom), and son, Christopher Phillips, both of Murfreesboro, NC; a very special granddaughter whom he raised as a daughter, LaShawn H. Montgomery, of White Plains, MD; eight additional grandchildren; three special great grandchildren – Terryll, Zachary and Amari; a number of additional great and great, great grandchildren; a special friend, Winnie Keaton; and a host of nieces, nephews, relatives and friends.

The family will receive friends from 5:00 p.m. until 7:00 p.m. on Friday, March 8th at S. T. Enloe Memorial Chapel. Funeral services will be held on Saturday, March 9th at 11:00 a.m. at Washington Missionary Baptist Church with a reception of friends from 10:30 until 11 a.m. Burial will be at the church cemetery.

The service will be livestreamed starting at 10:45 a.m. from the Enloe Mortuary Facebook page. Go to www.enloemortuary.com. Press the Face Book icon from the home page. Scroll down until you see services for William Bridges. Press in the box.