Blany M. Bridges

Blany Marie McVeigh was born on a rural farm in the town of Union in Newton County, Mississippi, on Monday, December 14, 1942. She was born to the proud and loving parents of Levon McVeigh and Bernice Bailey McVeigh. She spent her early years in Union surrounded by her parents and extended family until the family relocated to Gulfport, Mississippi, due south one hundred seventy-two miles. She was the oldest of her maternal siblings and was brought up in the church where she accepted Jesus Christ as her Savior at an early age. During her youth, Blany attended Gulfport public schools and graduated from her beloved Thirty-Third Avenue High School in 1961. While in high school, Blany met and married Joseph Bridges. Shortly thereafter during the early sixties, they migrated north to the Pacific Northwest in Seattle, Washington, and settled in the Madrona neighborhood. They have three children, Joseph, affectionately known as “Jerome,” Michael, and Kelvin Bridges. With help from the good Lord and a resilient spirit, Blany became a registered nurse, serving for over forty years at various hospitals during her career including Children’s, Cabrini, Group Health, and Saint Francis Hospitals. She was a hard worker, working the night shift until her retirement in 2018. Blany was a long-term member of Tabernacle Missionary Baptist Church, serving on the nurses guild, and Shiloh Baptist Church, where she was a deaconess. She was a faithful woman of God, dedicated wife, and an outstanding and nurturing mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, sister, aunt, and friend. Blany was a wonderful person who was always there when her people needed her the most, offering her time, talent, treasure, support, wisdom, and love. She was a loyal person who was compassionate and generous. Blany was high-spirited and a fun-loving lady who loved to entertain. She was a woman with a servant’s heart and was a strong believer in keeping the family together regularly. Blany was the matriarch of the family and hosted big family dinners on Sundays, holidays, and special occasions. She was an excellent cook whose food brought much joy. She loved traveling and her adventures included many states, Canada, Caribbean, the Holy Land and many countries in Europe. Blany was even baptized in the Jordan River. Throughout her life, Blany focused on her family and poured herself into her children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren. She leaves behind a legacy of hard work, service, kindness, and strength. Blany was preceded in death by her parents, Levon McVeigh and Bernice Walton; sister, Betty Moore; brothers, W. G. Lindsey, Fred Lindsey, Floyd Lindsey, and Walter Lindsey, Jr.; and aunts, Dossie Mae James and Ada Fay Taylor. Blany leaves the following to honor and treasure her memory: her husband, Joseph Bridges; children, Joseph J. Bridges, Michael Bridges, Sr., and Kelvin (Lameania) Bridges; grandchildren, Michael Bridges, Jr., Armani Bernard Bridges, Faith (Jeremiah) Bridges, Joy (Lloyd) Phillips, and Lakelle Bridges; great-grandchildren, Hope Bridges, Levi James, Samani Bridges and Samiah Bridges; siblings, Mary Davis, Charles Lindsey, and Catherine Reed; nephews, Fredrick Wright (Christina), Charles Geno Scott, Jeffrey Lindsey, Anthony Lindsey, Steven Moore, and Mark Moore; nieces, Bridgette (James) Joyner, Michi (Ryan) Gillingham, Darlene Moore, Lisa Smith, Vicky McVeigh, Kimberly Lindsey, and Llonia Patterson; goddaughter, Shareatha Escobar; and a host of other relatives, church family, and friends

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