Charles R. Bridges Sr., retired family doctor, chemist, and teacher, has died at 98

Charles R. Bridges Sr., 98, of Philadelphia, retired family doctor, chemist, middle school science department chairman, mentor, church leader, and veteran, died Wednesday, July 19, of frailty syndrome at his home in Mount Airy.

Dr. Bridges grew up in the Elmwood section of Southwest Philadelphia, survived a harrowing bicycle accident as a teenager, and served thousands of patients as a family doctor and trusted adviser for more than four decades. From 1965, when he opened his practice in West Philadelphia, through 2006, when he retired after 41 years, Dr. Bridges made house calls, performed minor surgery, and delivered babies to mothers he had also delivered years before.

“Patients would line up around the block just to get a moment with him,” his family said in a tribute.

As an adviser, Dr. Bridges spoke at churches and to neighborhood groups about heath concerns the community faced. He mentored medical students at the University of Pennsylvania and counseled family and friends about college and career choices.

He was a role model, his family said, whom others “looked up to, turned to for advice, and could count on in their time of need.”

Dr. Bridges was hardworking and determined. He ran his uncle’s tailor shop after school and on weekends as a teen, and was so good at selling newspapers that he won a bicycle in a sales contest. It was on that bike that Dr. Bridges was hit by a car.

He spent two months at Mercy-Douglass Hospital and was so impressed by the Black doctor who cared for him that he decided to be a doctor, too. He graduated from Howard University with a bachelor’s degree in chemistry in 1950 and earned his medical degree at Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine in 1964.

“Charles defied the odds,” his family said, “and with the help of his loving wife, Ruth, created a path to success for him and his family for generations to come.”

Earlier, Dr. Bridges worked as a research and development chemist at the Philadelphia Quartermaster Depot, now the Defense Logistics Agency, and Rohm & Haas chemical company. He became a chemistry teacher at Roosevelt Junior High School in Germantown in 1958 and rose to head of the science department.

He served as medical ambassador for the national People-to-People cultural diversity program and won local community service awards from Holy Cross Lutheran Church and the Chapel of Four Chaplains. He was a member of the National Medical Association, Philadelphia Osteopathic Medical Association, and Medical Society of Eastern Pennsylvania.

He was council president at Holy Cross Church and a leader in the Chi Delta Mu fraternity. He overcame racism and unfair obstacles. His family noted his “irresistible charm” and called him “chivalrous,” “resilient,” and “inspired.”

Family was his lifelong priority. “He was easy to make laugh and smile,” said his granddaughter Hillary. “He was kind and quiet but would always talk if you wanted to.”

Charles Roscoe Bridges was born Jan. 10, 1925, in Philadelphia. He grew up with his parents and six siblings, and their home was the center of his attention. He played piano and violin, and listened to his grandfather preach at St. Paul AME Church on Sundays.

His mother demanded that school officials reassign him from trade school classes to academic studies so he could qualify for college, and he graduated from John Bartram High School in 1943. He was drafted into the Army after high school and served during World War II in New Guinea and the Philippines as a company clerk and staff sergeant.

He returned to Philadelphia after college and resumed dating his childhood friend Bessie Ruth Young. They married in 1953, had sons Jonathan, Kenneth, and Charles Jr., and lived in Germantown and Mount Airy.

Dr. Bridges played tennis and followed the local sports teams. He liked to read, practically always dressed well, and usually washed and dried the dinner dishes.

He and his wife hosted memorable parties and danced often to Lena Horne, Harry Belafonte, and Fats Domino. They traveled together to Spain, Panama, China, and elsewhere.

“He was a kindhearted man,” his wife said. “If anyone had a problem, he was there to help.”

In addition to his wife, sons, and granddaughter, Dr. Bridges is survived by five other grandchildren, three great-grandchildren, a sister, and other relatives. Three sisters and two brothers died earlier.

Services were Friday, July 28.

Donations in his name may be made to the Medical Society of Eastern Pennsylvania, Box 27306, Philadelphia, Pa. 19118.