Julia May Bridges

Julia May Bridges, 91, of Hurst, Texas passed away in Wylie, Texas November 29, 2018. Julia was born November 14, 1927 as the daughter of Charles Harry Fiscus and Mazie Maine Fiscus in Martinsburg, West Virginia.

In the late 1950s, Bro. & Sister Charles Fiscus had a gospel meeting in their front yard in Colleyville and the preacher was Bro. Joe Rhoten, whom so many of you know. It wasn’t very long after this meeting that the church was officially organized in Colleyville and Bro. Fiscus was selected to be one of the original Elders of the congregation. Bro. & Sis. Fiscus were active in the church until their passing. They had three daughters. Reva was the eldest, Fern was the middle child and Julia was the youngest. This is how and when many of us met the three sisters. They also had a foster son, George Zepp.

Julia graduated from the Martinsburg, WV high school and obtained bookkeeper intern training employment with the Interwoven Manufacturing Company.

Julia’s sister, Reva, had traveled some and then made her home in Amarillo, TX. Their father had some health problems from previously working in the coal mines and he and their mother moved to Amarillo to be near their daughter and to have better air to breathe. They opened and operated a restaurant in Amarillo and it wasn’t too long before Julia also moved to Amarillo and joined the family in the new business.

It was not long before this that Max Bridges had returned to Oklahoma after World War II and returned to high school to finish his education. He soon moved to Amarillo and there he met his future wife, Julia. They were married in Childress, TX in 1950. A short time later, Max’s work brought this new family to Ft. Worth. Julia became employed with Monnig’s department store in downtown Ft. Worth as a sales clerk in the stationery department. It was about this time that their son, Charles, entered their life. When Charles was in the third grade, Max’s job took the family back to North Texas to Iowa Park. Julia was in the Horizon Study Club and they sponsored the Miss Iowa Park Pageant. Charles played on a Little League type baseball team and Max was the coach. However, after about three years, Max’s job brought the family to the Hurst, TX area. This brings us to about 1966.

Julia began a long tenure of employment in the Hurst, Bedford, Euless area by being employed by the HEB school system. She was manager of the Hurst Jr. High School and Bedford Jr. High School cafeterias. She then moved to the Trinity High School as a manager. She attended NTSU one year for food service for HEB School District.

Food service ran in the family because her father had a diner in West Virginia, and as previously mentioned, a restaurant in Amarillo and later he was a partner with his son-in-law, Max in a hamburger diner on Highway 183 in Haltom City. Julia then left the school system and was employed by C.A.’s Steakhouse restaurant in Hurst. After this, she obtained a job with the Marriot Corporation as the assistant manager of the housekeeping of the Bedford Courtyard Marriott where she remained until physical problems hindered her from working in that capacity.

In 2001, while working with the Marriot Corporation, Julia was selected for “An Award for Excellence.” She was one of thirteen out of 250,000 employees to receive this award. She received the award in person at a banquet at the Crystal Gateway Marriot in Arlington, VA.

Prior to this time, she was joined with a group of ladies in the Northeast Tarrant County in the BETA SIGMA PHI sorority and in 1977 was the “Valentine Sweetheart.”

Julia and her two sisters were a very close knit group through the years. Reva lived with Julia and Max the last eighteen years of her life. When Reva’s health reached a serious stage, Julia & Max had to become serious caregivers until Reva had to be moved to a special place where she received daily care around the clock. Then when Fern was living alone and needed special attention after a stay in the hospital, she went to live with Julia for a few weeks. So you can see that the baby sister became the older two sisters’ caregiver, and a very good one at that.

From the memories of Julia’s life, one can readily see that she was an active and industrious woman all through her married years.
She was preceded in death by her husband Max, two sisters; Reva Fiscus and Fern Alexander. She is survived by her son Charles and his wife, Dixie Bridges previously from Hurst, Texas, One Grandson; Christopher Bridges and one granddaughter; Sarah Shirey and her husband, J.D, one great-grandson; Gabriel Shirey, all of Hurst, One Foster brother; George Zepp of Amarillo, Texas, One niece; Brandy Ross and her husband, Scott, one great niece; Madeline Ross, and One great nephew; Jack Ross.