Knoxville woman recognized for unrelenting dedication to the community
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WATE) — Giving the gift of time is what this 'Remarkable Woman' is all about. Getting her to talk about all she does is something else entirely.
'She doesn't talk about herself. She doesn't say anything. We have to dig it out of her, pull it out of her and so we feel like she does things out of the love in her heart,' said Gloria Deathridge.
'Remarkable' woman transformed old Townsend campground into luxury outdoor resort
Former Knox County School Board member and Lady Vols Basketball pioneer Gloria Deathridge is remarkable in her own right. She took the time to nominate her good friend Jacqueline Bridgeman for WATE's Remarkable Women series for her years of volunteer work as an emergency responder with the American Red Cross and for managing a relief shelter during the Gatlinburg wildfires.
'It's really revealing,' Bridgeman said. 'When someone only needs you to sit down and hold their hand to get through their disaster.'
Years before the wildfires, she helped victims of Hurricane Katrina who found food and a place to sleep at the Knoxville Civic Coliseum.
'I would go to work, I would get off, and I would go over to the coliseum until 3 or 4 in the morning. Go home, go to bed, get up, go back to Y12,' Bridgeman recalled.
Sevierville Police lieutenant dedicated to building trust one person at a time
What this remarkable woman can talk about is her personal mission to give back. She volunteers with Mobile Meals. She holds office with service organization Links, Incorporated, along with Gloria Deathridge.
'When you begin to work with other women, they become part of you. You become part of them and the division line between a friend and a sister is very, very blurred,' Bridgeman said.
She regularly visits schools, and that's not all.
'We just know she disappears,' Deathridge told us. 'And when she disappears, you know she's doing something for somebody. She takes people to the grocery store. She takes them to their doctors' appointments. She just does so much for other people.'
How one woman's efforts helped restore Knoxville's only national landmark
Bridgeman also has a heart for veterans, attending and supporting too many veterans' events in the community to count, taking time to hear their stories at Ben Atchley Veterans Nursing Home. She has also been on HonorAir flights as a volunteer and has been on the Vietnam Veterans Flight to Vietnam four times to learn about her brother's experiences, which he did not often talk about.
We thank Jacqueline Bridgeman for her service in her own way to our community.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
21 hours ago
- Yahoo
Veteran known as ‘Cowboy Dave' brings hope to tornado survivors
LAUREL COUNTY, Ky. (FOX 56) — When disaster strikes, most people run from the chaos. Cowboy Dave runs toward it. Dave Graham, better known as 'Cowboy Dave,' is a military veteran on a mission — traveling across the country in a pickup truck and camper, bringing comfort to communities hit by crisis. His latest stop: London, Kentucky, where an EF-4 tornado tore through homes, lives, and livelihoods just weeks ago. Investigation underway after KSP trooper shoots, kills man Veteran known as 'Cowboy Dave' brings hope to tornado survivors Lancaster native hopes to put an end to 'period poverty' in Kentucky 'I move in with the community — as close to the disaster as I can,' Dave said. 'I live with them. I feel it. And they sense that. They know it's genuine.' With his trademark cowboy hat and ever-open camper door, Dave stands out. But it's his presence, not his appearance, that leaves the biggest impact. Through his nonprofit, Hearts Hurt, Cowboy Dave has responded to more than 30 major disasters, including 9/11, Hurricane Katrina, the Maui fires, and flooding in Eastern Kentucky. What sets him apart? He does it all on his own dime, using his military pension to fund the mission. 'People knock on my camper and say, 'Cowboy, you want to talk?' I'm like, 'Absolutely,'' he said. 'It's a military thing — you do what it takes, for as long as it takes.' Airbnb generates an estimated $590 million in Kentucky in 2024 Study shows Kentucky among the poorest states Kentucky's most misspelled word, according to study Local residents say his arrival brought an unexpected sense of calm. 'Oh, he's a character,' said Matthew Cawood, who survived the recent tornado. 'It can be pouring rain and he's out there, waving at cars and talking to everyone, saying, 'Bring your Bible or bring your beer, I'll take you either way.' He just gets people.' Cowboy Dave's work isn't about recognition. It's about restoration — of hope, of humanity, and of hearts that hurt. 'When you create life in the middle of death and disaster, people are drawn to it,' he said. 'It's been a blessing for me. But it's not about me — it's about them.' Latest central Kentucky weather forecast As long as there's a need, Cowboy Dave said he'll keep showing up. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Yahoo
Obituary: Col. Thomas Simonet helped lead I35W bridge collapse response — and umpire vintage ‘base ball'
U.S. Air Force retired Col. Thomas Simonet lived a life of service on a global, national and local level. During his 36-year tenure in the Air Force, Air National Guard and Air Force Reserves, Simonet served in places like Korea, England, Germany and Turkey. As the state's emergency preparedness liaison officer for the Air Force, Simonet spent a decade supporting Homeland Security efforts during major natural disasters or events including the Interstate 35W bridge collapse, Hurricane Katrina, the 2008 Republican National Convention and the flooding of the Red River. Simonet, of Stillwater, also helped out close to home, serving on the boards of the Washington County Historical Society, the Minnesota Air National Guard Historical Foundation, Knights of Columbus Council 1632 and the Stillwater Veterans Memorial. Simonet died May 29, 2025, of complications related to pancreatic cancer at his house in the Croixwood neighborhood — the home where he grew up. He was 70. Simonet, who served as treasurer of the Washington County Historical Society, was instrumental in the society's efforts to create the Washington County Heritage Center, which opened in 2021, said Ryan Collins, who serves as the society's vice president. Simonet 'did a lot of the behind-the-scenes work to get Heritage Center ready to go,' said Collins, who also serves on the Stillwater City Council. 'There's no doubt in my mind that without Tom, it would not have happened.' Simonet, who spent 34 years with Norwest/Wells Fargo Bank before retiring in 2017 as a vice president for Institutional Retirement Trust Services, had a 'unique ability to negotiate without negotiating,' said Brent Peterson, the society's executive director. 'He was a guy who could steer a conversation in the right direction that would make everything good for everyone,' Peterson said. 'If it wasn't for Tom's financial leadership, the Washington County Heritage Center would not exist. The citizens of Washington County owe him a lot because of that. He truly was one of the finest people I've ever known.' Simonet was born and raised in Stillwater and graduated in 1972 from Stillwater High School, where he competed on the school's ski, cross-country and track teams. That same year, he enlisted in the U.S. Air Force, following in the footsteps of his older brother Jack, who was a a mechanic on C-124 Globemaster. 'He travelled the world,' Tom Simonet wrote in a self-published memoir. 'I received letters from Jack telling me of his adventures from Southeast Asia to Europe. He was stationed at Hickam Air Force Base in Hawaii. To me, Hawaii was a distant and exotic land. … The draft was still in effect, and I wanted to go my direction and not have the government decide for me. I saw it as a good avenue to learn about myself and to learn a trade.' Woodbury City Council announces new city administrator Canadian wildfire smoke causes 'very unhealthy' conditions in American Midwest and reaches Europe Ramsey County Board gets feedback on projects to be funded by Riverview Corridor money Ground is broken for next phase projects at St. Paul's Highland Bridge New Bush Foundation Fellows include amputee, journalist, architect, more After being released from active service in 1976, he served in the Minnesota Air National Guard, 133rd Airlift Wing, in St. Paul, where he served as an aircraft mechanic and advanced in rank and positions of Flight Squadron, Wing Inspector General, and Group Commander with the Minnesota Air National Guard until 2004. In 1977, he married Susan Duden; she died in 2018. The couple had two daughters. In 2022, he married Sharon McNamara. Simonet received a bachelor's degree in business from Metropolitan State University in 1983. He later received a master's degree in business administration from American Military University in 2014. Simonet finished his military career in 2014 as the state's emergency preparedness liaison officer, coordinating with local and state emergency managers, the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the Department of Defense to aid local communities when their resources become overwhelmed. One of his proudest accomplishments was helping coordinate the dive crews searching for victims after the I-35W bridge collapsed in the Mississippi River on Aug. 1, 2007, said Lisa Sjogren, his oldest daughter. A few hours before the collapse, Simonet found himself stopped in traffic on the bridge as he drove from Roseville to meet former work colleagues in Minneapolis. 'Traffic was limited to a single lane as major construction occurred on the bridge deck,' he wrote in his memoir. 'I remember stopping in the southbound traffic lane, waiting to move forward. I felt the car bouncing as the northbound traffic was moving. I was relieved to get off that bridge.' Simonet and Sjogren were at Simonet's brother's house in St. Paul when they got the news. 'His phone just went insane,' said Sjogren, of Elk River. 'He literally set up a command where we were. He was calling saying, 'I need divers, I need this, I need these people. Do we have medical support? Where are we sending them to? We have trauma, right? What can we provide?' All this stuff that an emergency comes with.' Simonet helped coordinate the National Guard and Reserve flying units 'to offload the diver's equipment and transport it to a staging area near the fallen bridge,' he wrote. 'The Hennepin County Sheriff requested a group of specialized U.S. Navy divers. He had told the Secretary of Transportation that his divers were going into areas beyond their capabilities, and a group of professional deep water divers was needed to continue the search. They were still looking for the missing 13 victims. 'As I look back on that day, I always think of the school bus full of children that ended up just behind the semi-trailer where the driver lost his life,' he wrote. 'When the bridge collapsed, the school bus dropped. Once it was safe, all the children climbed over the guardrail. … They ended up during this disaster at the perfect spot. I am thankful they were not one second further in their travels. In my firm belief, the mighty hand of God helped on that terrible day.' Simonet received the Legion of Merit, the Bronze Star and Meritorious Service Medal, among many other commendations. In 2024, he was recognized for his service and contributions by the Minnesota Air National Guard at the Flight of Honor Ceremony honoring those who have 'demonstrated outstanding professional achievement, service and heroism and have left a lasting impact on the organization.' March 25, 2025, was declared 'Tom Simonet Day' in Stillwater in recognition of his 'lifetime of community service.' One of Simonet's great joys was serving as the umpire for the St. Croix Base Ball Club, which plays by 1860 rules, Sjogren said. The 19th-century rules include: no wearing of gloves; no balls or strikes called by the umpire; foul balls are not considered strikes; and base runners can be tagged out if they overrun first base. As umpire, it was Simonet's job to start each inning by calling 'Striker to the line!' to bid the striker (batter) to the line – a line drawn through the center of the home base. 'He loved saying 'Striker to the line,' even when he got sick,' Sjogren said. 'When he couldn't be out at the base ball games, I took the phone and stuck the phone by the players, and then my dad just yelled into the phone, 'Striker to the line!'' Simonet also loved playing cribbage, boating on the St. Croix River and outsmarting claw machines. Woodbury City Council announces new city administrator 'Felt as though they were going to kill me,' Mahtomedi man beaten and robbed of casino winnings says in court New Bush Foundation Fellows include amputee, journalist, architect, more Air quality alert extended to noon Wednesday throughout Minnesota New MN measles cases confirmed, including Dakota County child who had not traveled 'He was the master of the claw machine that you would see at places like Perkins restaurants,' said Sarah Sederstrom, his youngest daughter. 'He had master-level precision, and he always won. Anytime he did win, he'd give the prize to a kid nearby.' 'I am convinced he was a surgeon in a previous life because of his precision with those things,' Sjogren said. In addition to his wife and daughters, Simonet is survived by two grandsons, a stepdaughter and two step-grandchildren. Mass of Christian burial will be held at 11 a.m. on Monday at St. Mary's Catholic Church in Stillwater, with visitation from 4-8 p.m. Sunday at Simonet Funeral Home in Stillwater.
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Yahoo
New artifacts at the Titanic Museum expected to sell for $1 million
PIGEON FORGE, Tenn. (WATE) — Two new artifacts have come to the Titanic Museum Attraction in Pigeon Forge. They are scheduled to go to auction where they are expected to sell for over $1 million, according to a press release. The artifacts are from the passengers Isador and Ida Straus. One is a pocket watch recovered with Isador's body, and the other is a letter that Ida wrote aboard the Titanic. Department of Justice comments on Zakai Zeigler lawsuit As the Titanic sank, Ida reportedly gave up her place on a lifeboat to remain with her husband saying, 'As we have lived, so will we die, together.' The artifacts will be at the museum until December 5, according to the museum's website. They are scheduled to go to auction in the United Kingdom and are expected to sell for more than $1 million. Locals, tourists recall major Gatlinburg crash that injured seven 'We are profoundly moved to share these incredibly personal items belonging to Isador and Ida Straus,' said Paul Burns, Curator at Titanic Museum Attraction. 'To see the pocket watch Isador carried and the letter written by Ida on the Titanic offers an emotional and powerful link to their love story and the human cost of this tragedy. This exhibit will allow our visitors to witness firsthand the depth of their commitment and the profound impact of their choices.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
