Paul Wayne Bridge

BRIDGE, Paul Wayne, 75, Parkman, August 27, 2013.  Arrangements are by Crosby & Neal Funeral Home, Guilford.

Paul Wayne Bridge

    PARKMAN – Paul Wayne Bridge, 75, passed away of pancreatic cancer at home on Tuesday, August 27, 2013, surrounded by family. He was born August 14, 1938, in Parkman, one of seven children, to Carroll Bridge and Minnie (Welts) Bridge at their home on Crow Hill Road. The family moved in 1941 to the Asa Harlow Farm on Harlow Pond Road in Parkman.
    He started his schooling at the Pond School in Parkman and finished at the University of Maine at Orono in 1960 with a double Bachelor’s degree in Agricultural Engineering and Secondary Education. He taught school in Machias for one year, Harmony for one year, and then moved to Vermont where he worked for the U. S. Soil Conservation Service for six years before moving back to Maine in 1967.
    He worked the family farm with his father, also working at the County Commissioner’s Office in Dover-Foxcroft. He worked full-time at Moosehead Manufacturing in Monson, planning and designing furniture for over 25 years before becoming semi-retired. He farmed his land, raising beef cattle until 1988. He mowed, raked and baled hay, and sold it from the barn right up to his passing. He also harvested his woodlots and burned wood in his furnace each winter.
    After moving back to Maine, he served as Moderator at the Parkman Town Meeting for over 25 years. Paul served as a selectman, was a member of the Budget Committee, Planning Board, Appeals Board, and was a lifelong member of the Parkman Grange. He was a member and Chairman of the SAD #4 School Board. Paul also served as Chairman of the HAD #4 Board of Directors for Mayo Regional Hospital from 1993 to 1996.
    Paul loved his children and grandchildren very much and cherished their visits to the farm. He was a quiet man who loved reading, dancing (especially at the Finn Hall in Monson), and playing bridge with his brothers and sisters.
    He is survived by his loving companion and fiancée of 13 years, Linda McPherson, and his children, Melanie Bridge, Andrew Bridge and wife, Pam, and Bradley Bridge, along with four grandchildren, Chandler, Tyler, Maddy, and Sophie. Paul is also survived by his brothers, Norman Bridge and wife, Ann, Harry Bridge and wife, Ellen; sisters, Carolyn Starbird, Beverly Hill, and Donna Colver and husband, Richard; numerous nieces, nephews, and cousins.
    He was predeceased by his parents; infant brother, Terrence; brother-in-law, Irving Starbird; and nephew, Aaron Bridge.
    A celebration of his life was held outdoors at his residence, 96 Harlow Pond Road, Parkman, on Friday, August 30, 2013, at 2 p.m. Burial was at the Pingree Cemetery in Parkman immediately following the service, followed by a gathering of friends and family at the Parkman Grange. In lieu of flowers, friends who wish to contribute in memory of Paul may do so to: the “Minnie Welts Bridge Scholarship Fund”, The Parkman Grange, c/o Cheryl Yale, 661 Wellington Rd., Parkman, ME 04443. Arrangements by Crosby & Neal, Guilford. For an online guest register, go to www.CrosbyNeal.com.