Kirke N. Bridges

Kirke N. Bridges slipped away on October 12th, peacefully at his home in Houston, Texas. His family and friends will miss him dearly. He was a one-of-a-kind human being on this earth, who was always there for you, no matter the circumstances. Having Kirke in our lives made us all better humans and believe in ourselves to do the right thing. Kirke will always be remembered for his warm smile, generous spirit, and unwavering love for his family and friends. He leaves behind a legacy of love, honor, decency, and cherished memories for all who knew him.

Kirke was born on February 11th, 1945, in Lake Charles, Louisiana, the youngest of three children, to William Thomas and Edrie Claire Bridges. (perhaps his birthplace inspired his love of cooking the best shrimp creole ever!) He grew up as a boy, in Southeast Texas, in Port Arthur and Groves, and was a look-alike for his grandfather on his mother’s side, for whom he was named. His father worked for Aramco in the gulf coast oil refineries, and that job would take the young family on an adventure to Saudi Arabia, where they lived for several years. Imagine Kirke, a freckle-faced boy on a ship to a foreign land, squinting in the sun, playing in the sand, and swimming in the sea.

The family returned to the States and settled back in Liberty, Texas, where Kirke graduated from high school in 1963. (he was voted Class Favorite!) He attended college at Sam Houston State University, in Huntsville, studying business, and joined the Delta Tau Delta fraternity, where he met his lifelong friend, Robert Thompson. Kirke received a Master’s degree, married Judy Grizzaffi, and served in the National Guard.

Kirke became a father in 1976, with the birth of his daughter, Holly Marie in Corsicana, Texas. This was a joyous day for Kirke, who cherished his role as a father and later grandfather, to Holly’s two boys, Lyrik Anthony and Kalen William. The Grizzaffi family loved to cook, and their recipes, memorialized in The Book, he treasured and guarded closely.

In 1981, Kirke married the love of his life, his beautiful wife, Sue, in Houston, Texas. He was fond of nicknames for cars and people, and Sue had two favorites, “Fast Track” and “Peaches.” (she had fourteen, and Kirke called them love-names, with stories for each one!) Kirke took Sue to Europe on their honeymoon, backpacking and staying in pensiones. Later, they would return to Italy and to Europe for trips together and with family. Their home, near Memorial Park, became a gathering place during holidays and other times of celebration. Enjoying good food, cooking for others (the BEST jalapeno-cheese cornbread, done in a cast iron skillet!) and hanging out in the kitchen or on the patio made Kirke a happy man. In 2000, Kirke would battle and survive cancer. His nephew, Benjamin, asked him to be his best man at his sunset wedding in Austin, TX, because as he put it, “Kirke is the best man I know.”

In the late ‘80s, the oil business in Houston took a downturn, and Kirke started over, launching his own business, Kirke Bridges Insurance. He built it from scratch and put in the hard work making client relationships and earning his customers’ business. Kirke liked to frequent hole-in-the-wall lunch spots with humble people serving delicious food (if it was attached to a gas station, even better!). But of course, he had a place in his heart for the Original Ninfa’s on Navigation, where the waiters knew him by name, and where he took his mother for many birthday lunches and Ninfaritas. He retired only recently and enjoyed cheering on the Houston Astros or catching old movies on television; he made the best popcorn, the old-fashioned way, in a pot, with lots of butter.

Kirke enjoyed spending time with his close friends: grilling and chilling with his friend Sam Lewis and wife Mary Jane at their Lake Travis abode; water skiing with his friend and roommate Brad Posey while both worked at Motorola in San Antonio, and then being there for Brad when he was diagnosed with cancer much later; and hanging out with Skipper, his friend from the insurance business, a gourmand who enjoyed cooking with Kirke and his family (we remember the raspberry sauce on top of the chocolate mocha cake!). And then there’s Joyce Reuther, a dear (and funny!) friend to both Kirke and Sue, who has been there through thick and thin for over forty years and helped them get through health challenges when Kirke was ill.

The arrival of grandsons into their lives brought great joy to Kirke and Sue. Kirke was “Paw-Paw” and Sue was “Peaches” to them. A favorite pastime for the boys was making blueberry pancakes with Paw-Paw. Inspiring love of foreign travel was a wish Kirke had for his grandsons, and he was able to share that with his oldest grandson, Lyrik, and had plans to share that experience again, with his youngest, Kalen, who spent a beautiful day with Paw-Paw and Peaches in Galveston, shortly before his passing.

Some may not know how expressive Kirke was with his writing. Kirke’s love for Sue was in the many letters he wrote her during their courtship, that she still has. One letter he wrote her from Saudi Arabia, when he worked for Aramco himself, with the thought that maybe, they would live there for a bit. But no, this is not the place for us now, he wrote, “I’m taking you to Paris!” On his last beautiful morning, Sue was drinking tea on their patio, looking through his letters and notes to her, and this stayed with her, “…starting over, growing together” which is what they did.

Kirke is survived by his wife, Susan Bridges, and daughter, Holly Marie Nunez, and her husband Armando Nunez; his grandchildren, Lyrik Anthony and Kalen William Nunez; his niece, Lisa Kelley and husband, Chris; his nephew, Benjamin Cromwell and wife, Robyn, and his great nieces, Raegan and Reese Cromwell. He is preceded in death by his parents,

William Thomas and Edrie Claire Bridges, and his siblings, Thomas Jefferson and Edrie Claire “Sis” Bridges.

A memorial service and Mass is planned for Friday, October 25th, at 11am, at Saint Theresa’s Catholic Church (the church is in Memorial Park), 6622 Haskell St, Houston, TX, 77007, with a reception to follow.

In lieu of flowers pleas consider donating to the American Cancer Society

https://donate.cancer.org/?campaign=search&utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaignid=21603275924&utm_adgroupid=169792393161&utm_keyword=american%20cancer%20society&gad_source=1&gclid=Cj0KCQjwmt24BhDPARIsAJFYKk02NgtB1o9TzAUSrbb3s1zY9lEbeiBa1q4ZCvyej9VCPNj5npg6aQYaAiFeEALw_wcB