FRANKLIN
Karen Ann (Petersen) Bridges, returned home to Christ on the afternoon of Friday, July 19th, 2024. She rejoins the love of her life, William Bridges, who preceded her in death in June of 2023. She is also reunited with her little black cat Parker, who crossed the Rainbow Bridge early in 2024.
Karen grew up an only child in rural Vincennes. She was the daughter of Fred (Fritz) and Mary Ann (Enochs) Petersen. She grew up as a happy tomboy, helping with the chickens and playing with her dog, Pansy, who was her best friend. Her family ran a gas station and motel called The Willows on the outskirts of Vincennes. From the age of six, Karen was pumping gas and helping run the candy counter. She and her family were fast friends with many of the truck drivers and other regulars who stopped for food and rest at their motel. At one point, a small boy with a broken bicycle pedal came in and asked Karen if he could use the phone to call his family for a ride. She pointed him in the right direction, with no idea that the little boy on the bike would someday grow up to be the man whom she would marry.
She grew up to be an excellent student and avid reader. She graduated in 1959 from Lincoln High School in Vincennes. She received a certification in secretarial science from Indiana State University in 1961, and became an assistant librarian in Vincennes later that year. A year later she married William Bridges, a young reporter who had been assigned to do a feature story on the new librarian in town. In 1974, she received her B.S. in Business Administration from Indiana University Southeast.
Karen had her first children, twins Karl and David in 1964, followed by Michael in 1967, and Colin in 1976. She worked occasionally as an assistant librarian while raising their four boys. She loved to travel, and she and Bill made sure to take the children all over the world with them, including trips to Germany, England, Rome, and Venice, one of their favorite stops. After their family moved back to Franklin in 1979 from Clarksville, Indiana, and Bill returned to Franklin College as the head of the Pulliam School of Journalism, she began a career as a local journalist for the Daily Journal, the Southside Challenger, and the Indianapolis Star. Karen was a fixture at a variety of civic events, staying up late on election nights to report election results, covering local trials, and reporting on local public meetings such as the Board of Public Works.
Karen volunteered her time and talents to a variety of local organizations, including five years as a den mother for a local cub scout troop. She was also active in the Women’s Press Club of Indiana, the National Federation of Press Women, Charlotte Emerson Club, the Johnson County Historical Museum and the American Legion Auxiliary. She also supported many activities and initiatives at Franklin College, where Bill was a professor for many years. Karen and Bill continued their adventures throughout their life together, visiting Japan, Australia, Hawaii, and Taiwan, among many other places.
She was a member of the First Baptist Church of Franklin, and was very involved in the work of the church, including teaching children’s Sunday school and running the sound board for the church services. She had a variety of other interests and hobbies throughout her life. She grew up loving western books and movies of all sorts, but John Wayne’s The Quiet Man was her favorite. She also pursued hobbies such as amateur radio (callsign KA9FLD), needlework, crochet, and word puzzles of all sorts. For many years she participated in the local adult spelling bee hosted in Franklin. She didn’t have a musical bone in her body, but with her love for travel and discovering other cultures, she had a natural gift for languages and spoke German fluently (as well as studying other languages such as Chinese, Japanese, and Italian.)
One of her great joys of the holidays each year was hand-making the large wreath that would adorn the house throughout the Christmas season. Her kind and loving nature came out in her love of birds of all sorts, and she delighted in starting every morning by greeting the “little flying pigs” that cleaned out her feeders each day (as well as chastising any delinquent squirrels that were out causing trouble.)
The family offers their sincere thanks to the many healthcare professionals at Community South and Johnson Memorial Hospital that have taken such good care of her in the last years of her life (although we note that our Mother won’t miss you waking her up at 3 a.m. to poke her). Thanks also to Molly and Bobby and the good people at Team Rehab in Franklin who helped keep her healthy and active for many years.
Karen is survived by her four sons: Karl Bridges (Rita), David Bridges (Connie), Michael Bridges (Amanda) and Colin Bridges. She is also survived by her sisters-in-law Ann (Bridges) Nimnicht, Nancy (Ashford) Bridges, and brother-in-law Charles and Connie (Anderson) Bridges. She leaves behind two beloved granddaughters, Amber Baldwin (wife of Brandon Thomas) and Rebecca Bridges, and two great-grandchildren, Clementine and Arthur Thomas.
A memorial service will be held on August 17, 2024. Visiting hours will be from noon to 1 p.m., with a service to immediately follow at Flinn &Maguire Funeral Home in Franklin, Indiana, with interment thereafter.
In lieu of flowers, and in memory of Karen’s love of all animals (except opossums), donations can be made in her name to the Johnson County Humane Society (www.hsjc.org) or the Johnson County Community Cats (jcccats.org). She would also encourage you to adopt a little black kitty because, while they are often the last to get adopted because people are superstitious, they are the best.
