Obituary of Josiah Bridge

Josiah Bridge, Stamford, CT, died December  30, 2017 at the age of 90.  Born in New York City, November 28, 1927, son of John Bridge and Ivy Vinton Holcomb Bridge. A lifelong resident of Greenwich and Stamford, he was educated in Greenwich and Stamford schools, subsequently graduating from King School in 1945.

He received his B.A. from Bowdoin College, 1952, where he was Graduating Speaker, was awarded the Hawthorne Short Story Prize and R.P.T. Coffin Poetry prize, and received his M.A. from Columbia University, 1955, he then taught English at Stamford High School and Rippowam High School in Stamford for 31 years.

An active Democrat all his life, he served for a number of years on the Democratic City Committee, managing the Democratic election campaign of Paul Shapero to the State House of Representatives and serving as the Publicity Campaign Manager for Bruno Giordano for his election to Mayor of Stamford.

As a teacher he was active in both teacher organizations, vice president of the Stamford Federation of Teachers and member of the Teachers Negotiating Committee during the teachers strikes of the 1970s.

Prior to teaching he worked as a newspaper reporter and columnist for both the Southbridge Evening News, where he was Sports Editor and photographer, and for the Stamford Advocate, covering local news and features.

In 1946 he enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps, serving two years, one in Hawaii and another as a Marine guard and M.P. at the Brooklyn Navy Yard and the Bayonne, N.J., Naval Supply Depot, where he witnessed the mothballing of some of the World War II U.S. Naval Fleet.

Summers while attending college and graduate school he worked as a climber and tree topper for the Bartlett Tree Co. and then did power line clearance for Elmcroft Tree Co. of Stamford.

Married 1954 to Marion Doyle of Stamford, Marion died of a sudden brain aneurysm in 1988. He is survived by four children, John, a professor of English at the National University of Singapore, Barbara, New Haven, CT, and William of Norwalk, CT  and James of Louisville, KY, and his sister Katharyn of Baltimore. He is also survived by two grandchildren, Thomas and William, sons of John and his wife Helena Whalen-Bridge of Singapore, two nieces and many cousins.

In early 1990s he married Jean Wood of Stamford and London, England, a close of long standing who was 100 years old and died May 30, 2017.

An active sportsman, Joe captained both the Bartlett Industrial League Softball Team and the Rippowam High School Interscholastic Faculty Softball Team, twice winning the cup.

He was a writer, publishing in magazines like the South Boston Literary Gazette and other publications and magazines throughout the country. A boat owner, he took great pride in his membership of the Cove Marina Association and in his friendships with fellow fishermen, both fresh and salt.  

 There will a visitation held on Thursday, January 4, 2018 from 5 pm -7 pm with reflections and memories to follow at 7 PM at Thomas M. Gallagher Funeral Home (next to the Knights of Columbus) 453 Shippan Ave, Stamford (203)-359-9999.  For information and to leave condolences for the family, please visit www.gallagherfuneralhome.com