Services for Benny Davis Bridges Sr., 82, will be held at 2:00 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 11, at Barrett's Funeral Home, Cleveland, officiated by the Rev. Jim Holmes, Pastor of Helen First Baptist Church. Everyone is welcome to these services. The family will receive friends from 5 until 7 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 10, at the funeral home. Interment will follow in Yonah View Memorial Gardens in Cleveland.
Mr. Bridges, 82, passed away Sept. 1, 2022, from an extended illness.
Born Aug. 30, 1940, in Madison County, he was the son of the late Lucy Estelle Bridges and Ralph Vernon Bridges.
Mr. Bridges is survived by wife, Regina Fuller Bridges; five children, Debby and (Mike) Henning, Donna and (David) Vickers, Teresa and (Kenny) Mueller, Ben Jr. and (Tammy) Bridges, and Dedra and (Clay) West; brothers Kenneth and (Marilyn) Bridges, Thomas and (Kathy) Bridges, and Robert and (Barbara) Bridges; and sister, Elaine and (John) Stokes. They have 11 grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren; a large number of nieces and nephews.
He was saved by grace at the age of eight, baptized, and has been a follower and believer of Jesus Christ all his life. Mr. and Mrs. Bridges are active members of Helen First Baptist Church where he has served as Deacon.
Mr. Bridges graduated from Commerce High School in 1959. After graduating in 1960 from Barber College in Gainesville, he owned and operated a barbershop in Homer.
In 1966, he joined the Georgia State Patrol as a Driver's license examiner. Soon afterwards he was promoted to Trooper and graduated from Georgia's 29th Trooper School.
He patrolled in the Northeast Georgia area and served on a Statewide DUI Task Force for many years. During this time, he attained the rank of Corporal.
Ben was then assigned as a Staff Member for Georgia's Lt. Governor Zell Miller in 1976. He provided security and was liaison between the Lt. Governor's office at the Capitol in Atlanta and other law enforcement offices throughout the state. He spent nine years with the Lt. Governor's Office where he attained rank as Sergeant and then Lieutenant. During this tenure, he attended Secret Service School in Washington, D.C.
Ben was promoted to the rank of Captain as the Troop B Commander in NE GA in May 1985. He managed five patrol stations in a 21-county area including White and Habersham counties. His safety articles were published monthly in over 28 newspapers and he made regular appearances on radio and TV.
In 1976, Captain Bridges received the Georgia Peace Officer Association's "Peace Officer of the Year" award chosen by his peers from among 10,000 members. He was credited with saving four lives and was awarded proclamations for heroism from the Governor's Office, the Georgia House of Representatives, and the Georgia State Senate.
He was a member of the Lavonia Jaycees and was chosen by them as "Outstanding Young Man of the Year" in 1977. He was a charter member and vice president of the Gainesville Breakfast Optimist Club. He was an active member of the Gainesville Rotary Club for nine years and active member and past president of the White County Rotary Club.
He has been a member of the White County Chamber of Commerce, Habersham County Chamber of Commerce, Advisory Board of the Hardman Farm Estate, Georgia Right to Life Association, National Rifle Association, Friends of Georgia State Parks, White County Republican Party, Habersham County Republican Party, and the Georgia Republican Party. He has spoken to most all of the civic clubs and to many churches and businesses located throughout NE GA. He has been awarded numerous commendations and recognized as an outstanding leader from many organizations.
Captain Bridges retired from the Georgia State Patrol after 30 years of distinguished service in September 1995. Rather than enjoying his retirement and expanding his hobby of riding and training his horses, he felt the need to continue his life work of helping other people.
He was elected by the citizens of White and Habersham counties in 1996 and served these areas for 12 years. He served on Committees for Banks and Banking, Public Safety, Natural Resources and Environment and was Chairman of the Retirement Committee, as well as several subcommittees within these committee structures. Representative Bridges wrote articles to keep his constituents informed about legislation and the legislative process that were published in The White County News/Telegraph and The Northeast Georgian.
A live stream of the funeral service can be viewed at https://vimeo.com/745840052
To share a memory or to leave an online condolence for the family, please visit barrettfh.com.
Barrett Funeral Home of Cleveland is in charge of arrangements.