A memorial celebration for Evelyn Bridges, 100, who died Monday, October 5, 2009 at The Village Health Center in Indianola, Iowa will be held 2 p.m., Thursday, October 8 at the MapleCrest Centre Lounge at The Village, 1203 North E Street, Indianola. A private family burial will be held before services.

Flora Evelyn (Demaree) Bridges was born in Clinton County, Missouri, November 2, 1908 to Taylor Lee and Edna (Hart) Demaree. For a short time her family lived near Durango, Colorado. She graduated from Lathrop, Missouri High School and attended Northwest Missouri State College for two years. She married Archie F. Bridges on August 2, 1932. At that time they were teaching in Atchison County, Missouri.

The family moved to Corydon, Iowa in 1948, where Evelyn taught kindergarten for six years. Evelyn graduated from Drake University in 1953. In 1957 she began teaching first grade in the Des Moines Public Schools where she was a pioneer in the Head Start method of teaching during the 1960s. Evelyn retired from teaching at Wright Elementary School in 1974.

Over the century Evelyn had many interests and belonged to many clubs. Among the interests were travel, genealogy, and various collections. She was a Pioneer and among the first residents to move into The Village in Indianola.

Evelyn is survived by her three children, June (Lloyd Art) Nelson of Livingston, Texas, Allen (Anne) Bridges of Woodstock, Vermont and Marty (Tom) Fears of Chevy Chase, Maryland; eight grandchildren; eleven great grandchildren and the twelfth to arrive early next year. She was preceded in death by her parents, Taylor Lee Demaree and Flora (Hart) Demaree; and husband, Archie in 1989, two sisters and one brother.

In Lieu of flowers, memorial contributions are suggested to the Indianola First United Methodist Church or The Good Shepard Fund at The Village.