News

County mourns loss of Robert Bridges, a champion of public schools

Robert Bridges shown during a candidate forum in 2024. [LIGHTNING FILE PHOTO]

By Amy McCraw, Published: August 6, 2025

Friends, former students and colleagues are mourning the loss this week of Henderson County School Board Vice Chairman Robert Bridges.

Bridges,78, passed away on Monday after an extended illness.
School Board Chairwoman Kathy Revis on Wednesday described Bridges as a fine man who loved Henderson County and its students.
“He kept going until he couldn’t any longer. We lost a good friend,” Revis said as her voice broke with emotion. “He was just a fine guy. He liked to joke and go on. It’s so sad.”
Revis said she last spoke with Bridges at the school board’s June 30 meeting. The board made the difficult decision to hold its August meeting on Monday after learning that Bridges had passed away.
“Knowing him the way I did, he wouldn’t want to be the reason we didn’t go on with our meeting,” Revis said. “He was a champion for our school system.”
Bridges spent most of his career in the Henderson County Public School System, teaching at Dana Elementary and Rugby Middle School. He served as a counselor and assistant principal of Flat Rock Middle School and as a guidance counselor at East Henderson High School, according to his obituary posted on the Shuler Funeral Home & Crematory website. Bridges also worked for Vocational Rehab and volunteered for several years with Four Seasons Hospice at the Elizabeth House.
Don Henderson, a longtime friend of Bridges, said the two met while teaching at Rugby and over the next 40 years often worked together on carpentry projects.
“He was one of my best friends. I considered him like a brother. We knew each other so well we could finish each other’s sentences,” Henderson said. “My children called him Uncle Robert.”
Bridges along with another friend introduced Henderson to his future wife, Wendy, years ago during a basketball game at Rugby.
Henderson said Bridges later used his classic 1956, two-door Dodge coupe to chauffeur the couple during their wedding.
“It was a real classic,” Henderson said. “He kept it in pristine condition. He always kept it clean and polished up.”
Bridges also drove Henderson’s daughter in the car when she married and made it available to other couples on their wedding day.
Bridges joined the Henderson County Board of Education in 2020 and was reelected to the board in November 2024.
He was also a faithful member of First Baptist Church of Hendersonville, serving in many capacities, according to his obituary.
Henderson said Bridges was dedicated to both his work on the school board and his church.
“You couldn’t ask for a better person to be on the school board. He was a real supporter and advocate.”
Bridges often visited with people from his church when they were in need and carved small crosses from walnut wood for people who were sick.
“Robert was a good man and a good friend,” Henderson said.
Bridges suffered from heart trouble and had difficulty breathing and moving around in the days before his death, his friend said.
Others, including state Rep. Jennifer Balkcom and Hendersonville Mayor Pro Tem Jennifer Hensley, remembered Bridges in comments posted online.
“Mr. Bridges made a lasting impact on so many lives including mine during my time at East Henderson High School. He was one of the kindest, most genuine people I’ve ever known,” Balkcom said in a post on Facebook. “A true servant leader, he carried out his work with deep faith and a heart for students and families. His legacy of compassion and service will continue to shape Henderson County for generations. Mr. Bridges, thank you for the example you set for us all.”
Hensley, also in a Facebook post, called Bridges “a true servant leader. Rest in Peace Mr. Bridges, and thank you for all your service to this community.”
Bridges was last elected the school board in 2024 after school board elections in Henderson County became partisan races. As a result, state law requires that the seat Bridges held on the board be filled 30 days from his death.
The change to having school board seats filled through partisan races also means that an executive committee of the county’s Republican Party will name the person who will fill the seat Bridge’s held, said Greg Beam, the chairman of the Henderson County Republican Party.
Given that the 30-day time period to fill the seat ends on Labor Day and during the N.C. Apple Festival, Beam said he intends for the committee to meet on Aug. 28 to determine who will fill the school board seat. People interested in the seat will have an opportunity to present themselves to the committee and will be interviewed by the committee, Beam said.
Anyone interested in filling the seat should contact Henderson County’s Republican Party at hello@hcgopnc.org.
Bridges attended Western Carolina University, earning a bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education, a master’s degree in Counseling and an Educational Specialist degree.
It was at Western Carolina that Bridges met the love of his life, Norma, and they were married in 1968. Following graduation, they moved to Hendersonville, according to the obituary.
Bridges and his wife were blessed with one deeply loved son, Michael, whom Bridges was so proud of. Michael's sweet wife is Beth, and their two lovely daughters are Bella and Gabriella. Also surviving Bridges is his sister, Jean Bridges Hendrix of Buncombe County; nieces, Sandy Austin (Jim), and Kelly O'Brien (John); numerous great-nieces, nephews, and cousins. He was preceded in death by his parents, Charles Glenn and Drucilla Bridges; brothers-in-law, Jack Hendrix and Clyde Overman; great-niece, Darby O'Brien; and, most recently, his sweet sister, Bette Bridges Overman, according to the obituary.
A memorial service will be held at Hendersonville First Baptist Church at 6 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 7, with visitation preceding the service at 5 p.m.