2/18/2017
Reverend William Earl Bridges, a resident of Dothan, died Saturday afternoon, February 18, 2017, at his home. He was 85. Celebration of Life Services were held on February 25, 2017, in the Denton Road United Methodist Church with Reverend Phil Craddock and Reverend John H. Baxter officiating. Burial followed in Gardens of Memory, between Headland and Dothan. Memorial contributions may be made to the Denton Road United Methodist Church, 2410 Denton Road, Dothan, AL 36303.
Reverend Earl Bridges was a native of Houston County and was reared in Henry County. He was the son of the late John Edward Bridges and Bessie Lee Raybon Bridges. He entered the United Methodist Church Ministry in 1963 and Pastored several churches as an Elder of the Alabama-West Florida Conference. He was preceded in death by his first wife, Cora Lee Cook (Kay) Bridges and a sister, Betty Jean Bridges Woodham.
Surviving relatives include his wife, Marinell Watford Bridges; a daughter, Judy Bridges Michel (Michael), Birmingham; two sons, Gary Earl Bridges (Jane); and Tony Alan Bridges (Beth), all of Montgomery; sister-in-law, Martha Jones (Walter); eight grandchildren, Hannah Bridges, Caleb Bridges, Meggie Bridges, Claire Bridges, Jared Bridges, Jordan Bridges, Sara Kay Bridges and Max Michel; a great-grandson, Oliver Bridges; several nieces and nephews, including a special nephew, Joey Watford.