Robert Bridgewater

Robert Sidney Bridgewater, 64, also known as Bob, Bobby, The Bob, Dad, Grand Dad, and Uncle Bob, passed away peacefully in his sleep on Tuesday, September 6 at 9:15 a.m. in his home after a long struggle with Lyme Disease and a valiant five year battle against cancer. A devoted husband of forty one years, father, and grandfather, he was born on September 11, 1946 in Jersey City, New Jersey at the Margaret Hague Maternity Hospital. He was the eldest of three brothers and spent his teenage years in New Jersey and Pennsylvania. He attended Manasquan High School in Manasquan, New Jersey, where he was a football quarterback and infielder baseball player. He was a quarterback at Sioux Falls College, Sioux Falls, South Dakota and Saint Mary of the Plains, Dodge City, Kansas before deciding to work full time. He worked for Proctor Gamble in Tunkhannock, Pennsylvania and Albany, Georgia before moving to Baton Rouge in 1976 and joining BASF Corporation, from which he retired as a supervisor. He was a volunteer firefighter and fire chief, certified first responder, and U.S. Coast Guard Merchant Marine tanker man. Founder of the Bandana Divers Underwater Travelers and certified NAUI and PADI Divemaster, he was an international scuba diver who enjoyed diving exotic sites around the world: his favorite destination was Coco View Resort in Roatan, Honduras. Fishing, golf, tennis, barbequing, racquetball, photography, music, dancing, and carpentry were some of the many hobbies he enjoyed. His greatest achievements were his daughters and his greatest disappointment was that he didnt get to scuba dive into his eighties. Robert Bridgewater was loved by his family and many friends and lived a full life of family, work and travels. He is survived by his wife Suzanna Cassano Bridgewater, Baton Rouge daughter and soninlaw Allison Cortney Bridgewater Toups and Lawrence Phillip Toups IV, Kentwood daughter Kimberly Robin Bridgewater, New Zealand grandsons Samuel William Bourgeois and Lawrence Phillip Toups V, Kentwood, Louisiana uncle Albert Bridgewater, Virginia aunt Clara Ackerman, Virginia brother and sisterinlaw Gary Richard and Gwen Eitmann Bridgewater, Gonzales, Louisiana brother and sisterinlaw Louis A and Jo Ann C Cassano, Point Pleasant Beach, New Jersey cousins Claire Zauner, Marion J. Berger, and George Ackerman, Virginia, and Carol Formisano, Seacus, New Jersey nephews William Joseph Cassano, Eric Cassano, and Damon Cassano, Point Pleasant Beach, New Jersey, Eric Sidney Bridgewater and Cory James Bridgewater,Baton Rouge, Louisiana nieces Michelle Lewis and Laura Cassano, Point Pleasant, New Jersey and many close friends. He was preceded in death by parents Sidney and Gertrude Robin Bridgewater, Jr brother Ronald J. Bridgewater and aunts Catherine Kumburis, Gloria Chorney, and Marion Gulick. Visitation on his birthday, Sunday September 11 from 2:00 4:30 pm followed by memorial service at Resthaven Gardens of Memory, Funeral Home, 11817 Jefferson Highway, Baton Rouge, LA 70816. Memorial donations may be made to International Lyme and Associated Diseases Society, PO Box 341461, Bethesda, Maryland, 208271461 or St. Joseph Hospice Foundation 17732 Highland Road, Suite G, Box 241, Baton Rouge, La. 70810. Special thanks to Mary Bird Perkins Cancer Center and staff, Home Instead and staff and St. Josephs Hospice and staff for the incredible care they provided.

Visitation

Resthaven Funeral Home
11817 Jefferson Highway
Baton Rouge, LA  70816
Sunday, September 11, 2011
2pm4:30pm

Service

Resthaven Funeral Home
11817 Jefferson Highway
Baton Rouge, LA  70816
Sunday, September 11, 2011
4:30pm

Memorial Contributions

PO Box 341461
Bethesda, MD  20827-1461


17732 Highland Road Suite G Box 241
Baton Rouge, LA  70810