Nancy Sue Bridewell

Nancy Sue Bridewell, our beloved mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, and sister, passed away on Friday, the 6th of September, eight days after her 75th birthday, at her home in San Diego with her daughter by her side. She died peacefully after two years of a courageous and determined meeting and struggle with a stage-4 cancer. She lived beyond the time estimates that her oncologist was always hesitant to give. She decided not to undergo chemotherapy because she wanted to have a quality not quantity of life before passing. She agreed, however to treatment with Keytruda which had to be stopped because of a serious side-effect. Still, she lived beyond the time expected with grit and grace on her own terms, and she did so with an ability to remain independent until the last year when her daughter began staying with her and her son came for extended periods to spell his sister. It was only during the last month of her life that she needed to be placed in hospice care and blessedly has not had to suffer anymore.

 Nancy was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin to Willard George Albers, Jr. and Susie Beatrice Albers (nee Everett) and grew up there, attending school at Hi-Mount Elementary, Steuben Jr. High and Washington High. After that she moved around to several different locations as the spouse of Robert Bridewell (deceased), who served in the Navy until retirement. Her first move was to Norwich, Connecticut, then to the Great Lakes Naval Station in North Chicago, Illinois, back to Milwaukee, Wisconsin while Bob served on E-boat duty in Vietnam, then to Seattle, Washington, and finally to San Diego, California. 

 While in San Diego she began working as a clerk at the Minimart in the Navy housing complex at Murphy Canyon, (not sure about the following) …. where she was promoted to store manager). From there, she was transferred to the large Navy Exchange in San Diego and worked her way up to the position of a division manager until retirement. During her years at the Navy Exchange, she met Robert Christianson Sr, another Navy person (deceased) who became a much beloved partner and a living grandpa to her five grandchildren. She took an early retirement to care for her mother during the last two years of Susie’s life.

 To her family, friends, neighbors, and many co-workers she was known to be respectful, kind, and always generous to a fault. She was also known to be notoriously stubborn, an unpretentious “take me as I am” sort of person with a marvelous, but often ribald, sense of humor.

 She is survived by her much beloved mother’s sister, Lloyd Neese and her own elder ‘Turtle’ sister, Patricia ‘Pat’ or “Patty’ Albers; her children, Laurie Boals / SIL Robert Boals, James Bridewell, and Robert Christianson, Jr. (step-son), her four grandchildren, Stephanie Ruiz, Brittany Stevenot, Anthony Baugh-Buys, and Emily Stevenot; and six, great-grandchildren, Jamie Ruiz, Jr., Stephen ‘Tiger’ Ruiz, Achilles ‘Kiwi’ Ruiz, Azalea Baugh-Buys, Athyrium ‘Finch’ Baugh-Buys, and Waylon Oerman, and of course, her devoted and loving dog, ‘Lily”.

 A private family service will be held for her in San Diego. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that memorial donations be given in her name to a local pet shelter in honor of her serious love and great concern that humans give proper attention to the care and stewardship of all animals, domesticated and wild.