Salina Presbyterian Manor
Mary’s Musings By Mary Bridges, chaplain JULY 2021
“Such good things can happen to people who learn to remember.” — Emily Dickinson
The fourth of July is a time of remembering for me. We bought my husband’s childhood home in 1987. Our annual Bridges Family Reunion began in 1989 when we invited everyone to help us reshingle the two-and-a-half-story rock home over the holiday weekend. The grandkids had a great time; Kenny’s nephew didn’t like heights, so he hauled the old shingles to the dump. One year, a great-great niece and her Nashville singing group provided entertainment for the celebration. Another year, the many talented Bridges artists held a month-long show at the Deines Cultural Center. Everyone loved those reunions, and they continued for over 20 years.
New assisted living residents have been married 77 years Marvin and Lois Ledy met on a blind date in 1943. Lois was working at Duckwall’s in Abilene, and Marvin was in training at Fort Knox. A week after their wedding, Marvin and the rest of the 738th Tank Battalion were shipped overseas. They were on the coast of England on D-Day and fought in the Battle of the Bulge. For more than 20 years, the Ledys attended battalion reunions in Lebanon, Tenn.
Ledy’s – continued on page 3
This past year, our Bridges family lost five members. It has been unbearably hard, as we were unable to gather for our goodbyes. Kenny is the youngest of the 12 Bridges children. As the “last Bridges standing,” he has written some family stories with our daughter as editor. Grandma Bridges came from Russia at age 8, and she left her “soulprints” on the
Mary’s Musings continued on page 2
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