Obituary for Joan Beth Bridges (Stein)
Joan Beth (Stein) Bridges 1941-2022
Our beautiful mom, a woman of tremendous perseverance and bravery, passed away on Tuesday, July 5th, surrounded by her family, finally reunited with her Lord and Savior, and our dear dad.
Mom was born in Louisville, Kentucky to Hazel and Paul Stein, but lived most of her life in the Greentree/Mt. Lebanon area. She attended Mt. Lebanon High School and went on to graduate with a B.S. in Elementary Education from Westminster College, where she was a member of the Sigma Kappa Sorority.
Mom was a natural born teacher and enjoyed a brief career at Bethel Memorial Elementary School where she made such an impact on her students that some of them remained in touch with her through adulthood.
Then came the magical day when she met our dad, Bob.
Theirs was a true love story. They loved each other deeply and modeled a commitment to their wedding vows throughout their lives together. Mom helped Dad start his business, R.J. Bridges Corporation, in 1984, working there until her late seventies, and helped support and care for Dad as we lost him slowly to dementia.
Mom and Dad put down roots in Mt. Lebanon and raised three children there.
Mom was a very talented decorator and was known for her contributions to the beautiful Christmas trees that adorned the windows and shop of Ducray Interiors, where she loved working alongside her beloved cousin, Emmy Lou.
Mom was always heavily involved in the church and had a desire to help and give back. She dearly loved her Bower Hill Community Church family and gave her heart and soul to whatever role she was called to, whether it was a deacon, session member, vacation bible school teacher, wedding coordinator, bible study member, or most recently, working to update the Friendship Room for generations to come. Mom also gave her time for several years as a faithful volunteer to the Goodwill and as a sponsor and supporter of Hekima Place, a home for orphaned and vulnerable girls in Africa.
There was no one she would rather be with than our Dad, in their favorite spot on earth, sitting on the banks of the French River, cooking and enjoying a shore lunch that Dad had caught hours earlier. We take great comfort knowing that they are together again. We miss her terribly.
Joan is survived by her three children, Beth (Bill), Brad (Heather), and Kirk, her sister, Debbie (Albert), and her brother Paul, (Margie). She is also survived by her five amazing grandchildren, Nicholas, Maggie, Anna, Charlotte, and Abigail, whom she loved very much. The girls will forever remember their fancy tea parties with Nana and Joanie, complete with fancy gloves and hats.
The family would like to extend a special thanks to the wonderful individuals who helped take such wonderful care of our mom.
A memorial service for Joan will be held at Bower Hill Community Church, on Saturday, October 29th, at 11:00am. Contributions in Joan’s name can be made to Bower Hill Community Church (https://www.bowerhillchurch.org/) or Hekima Place (https://hekimaplace.org/get-involved/donate/).
Our beautiful mom, a woman of tremendous perseverance and bravery, passed away on Tuesday, July 5th, surrounded by her family, finally reunited with her Lord and Savior, and our dear dad.
Mom was born in Louisville, Kentucky to Hazel and Paul Stein, but lived most of her life in the Greentree/Mt. Lebanon area. She attended Mt. Lebanon High School and went on to graduate with a B.S. in Elementary Education from Westminster College, where she was a member of the Sigma Kappa Sorority.
Mom was a natural born teacher and enjoyed a brief career at Bethel Memorial Elementary School where she made such an impact on her students that some of them remained in touch with her through adulthood.
Then came the magical day when she met our dad, Bob.
Theirs was a true love story. They loved each other deeply and modeled a commitment to their wedding vows throughout their lives together. Mom helped Dad start his business, R.J. Bridges Corporation, in 1984, working there until her late seventies, and helped support and care for Dad as we lost him slowly to dementia.
Mom and Dad put down roots in Mt. Lebanon and raised three children there.
Mom was a very talented decorator and was known for her contributions to the beautiful Christmas trees that adorned the windows and shop of Ducray Interiors, where she loved working alongside her beloved cousin, Emmy Lou.
Mom was always heavily involved in the church and had a desire to help and give back. She dearly loved her Bower Hill Community Church family and gave her heart and soul to whatever role she was called to, whether it was a deacon, session member, vacation bible school teacher, wedding coordinator, bible study member, or most recently, working to update the Friendship Room for generations to come. Mom also gave her time for several years as a faithful volunteer to the Goodwill and as a sponsor and supporter of Hekima Place, a home for orphaned and vulnerable girls in Africa.
There was no one she would rather be with than our Dad, in their favorite spot on earth, sitting on the banks of the French River, cooking and enjoying a shore lunch that Dad had caught hours earlier. We take great comfort knowing that they are together again. We miss her terribly.
Joan is survived by her three children, Beth (Bill), Brad (Heather), and Kirk, her sister, Debbie (Albert), and her brother Paul, (Margie). She is also survived by her five amazing grandchildren, Nicholas, Maggie, Anna, Charlotte, and Abigail, whom she loved very much. The girls will forever remember their fancy tea parties with Nana and Joanie, complete with fancy gloves and hats.
The family would like to extend a special thanks to the wonderful individuals who helped take such wonderful care of our mom.
A memorial service for Joan will be held at Bower Hill Community Church, on Saturday, October 29th, at 11:00am. Contributions in Joan’s name can be made to Bower Hill Community Church (https://www.bowerhillchurch.org/) or Hekima Place (https://hekimaplace.org/get-involved/donate/).