By Leyna Krow, Assistant Editor, JTNews
Shirley Bridge took the notion of tikkun olam to heart.
An avid philanthropist and advocate, Bridge was involved in a wide variety of local and national organizations that promote issues such as health care, women’s rights, Jewish life and community service. Her volunteerism extended until the end of her life. Seemingly nothing could keep her from the work she considered most important, not even a decades-long battle with cancer that had her in and out of treatment for much of her adult life.
“The minute she finished an operation, the very minute they let her out of the hospital, she was back at work,” said Herb Bridge, her husband of 60 years.
Shirley Bridge died on June 2. She was 86 years old.
Bridge was born in 1922 at Swedish Hospital in Seattle. She attended Broadway High School on Capitol Hill and the University of Washington, graduating Magna Cum Laude with a degree in Pharmacy. She was one of the first women to graduate from the program and, likewise, was one of the first female pharmacists in the state.
Unlike many women of her generation, Bridge refused to give up her career when she got married and she encouraged other female friends to do the same.
“One of the conditions of our getting married, and she set very few conditions on it, was [that] she would pursue her career,” said Herb Bridge. “Because not only was her happiness dependent on herself rather than me or anyone else, but she also wanted that independence…wanted to always be able to do things on her own.”
Her independent streak did not prevent Bridge from being something of a romantic, however, and she accepted Herb’s proposal of marriage after their second date.
“I never asked her again,” he said. “I just made the ring and put it on her finger and asked her if she liked it. She said, ‘oh yes.’ I said, ‘Fine, we are engaged.’ She didn’t take it off.”
Together, the Bridges raised two sons: Jon, who serves as co-CEO of Ben Bridge Jewelers, and Dan, a popular local rabbi who led Hillel at the University of Washington for many years.
Along with working as a pharmacist for more than 40 years, Bridge had her hands in a wide variety of social projects.
Bridge took her passion for feminism to the civic arena as a founding member of the Seattle Women’s Commission and the pro-choice advocacy group Voice for Choice. She served on the boards of the Women’s Law Center and Hadassah, where she helped Holocaust survivors adjust to their adopted country.
Bridge also helped to create the Women’s Endowment Foundation of the Jewish Federation of Greater Seattle. The foundation’s Shirley Bridge Power of One Award is given to Jewish women who have made significant contributions to the community.
Bridge’s interest in women’s rights was matched only by her enthusiasm for health care.
She helped create the Diabetes Research Council and was active in fundraising for Harborview Medical Center.
In 1988, Bridge became a founding member of AIDS Housing of Washington (now called Building Changes), which provides housing for people living with AIDS and their families.
Betsy Lieberman, executive director of Building Changes, described Bridge as a constant source of inspiration to her during her 20 years with the organization.
“She was an incredible champion in civil rights and of getting health care to people when they needed it,” Leiberman said of Bridge.
In 2002, Building Changes named a housing complex in West Seattle after Bridge in recognition of her years of work with the agency. Bridge remained active on the board until 2007, when she broke her hip, which contributed to her failing health and left her unable to attend meetings.
Leiberman said she felt honored to be asked, along with a number of Bridge’s other friends and contemporaries, to speak at Bridge’s memorial service on June 4 at Temple De Hirsch Sinai.
“Every person who spoke remarked we were all Shirley’s girls. She supported us, she loved us, she pushed us to take on new and complicated issues,” she said.
Bridge is survived by her husband, two sons, four grandchildren and one great-grandchild.