Benet Eugene Bridgeman, a former Long Beach resident, died on Nov. 30 after an eight day battle with sceptic shock caused by bi-lateral pneumonia. He was 85.

Born in Brooklyn, Bridgeman was raised in Long Beach and graduated from Long Beach High School and New York University. He was a captain in the Long Beach Police Department; a frequent substitute at LBHS; a member of the Holy Name Society and Saint Vincent De Paul, two Catholic charities in Long Beach; and an usher at Saint Mary of the Isle, a Catholic Church on East Park Ave.

Bridgeman was a World War II veteran who did battle on the beaches of Normandy and Okinawa. After the war, he married Rosemarie Marchione on Oct. 26, 1946, at St. Mary's after they had met in high school three years earlier. The couple had 5 children. In 1999, they moved to Port St. Lucie, Florida, where he was active in his church, Holy Family, and made many friends.

“Gene,” as he was known, is remembered for his love of life and great sense of humor, both of which he maintained up until his final days, said his daughter Annemarie DeMarco.

“He would light up whenever he was around people and would reach out to his fellow patients in the chemo room,” she said. “We are so proud of him and the courage and thoughtfulness he displayed throughout his life, including his last day when his biggest concern was for his wife of 63 years.”

Bridgeman is survived by his wife Rosemarie; children Benet Eugene II (Susan) of Raleigh, North Carolina; Robert of Port Saint Lucie, Florida; Marylou McDermott of Rockville Centre; Patricia Murray of Charlottesville, Virginia; and Annemarie DeMarco (James) of Scotch Plains, New Jersey; grandchildren Ryan, Elizabeth, Patrick, Jonathan, John Louis, Gregory, Katherine and John Edward; and great granddaughter Madelyn. Memorial services are being planned in Long Beach and Port St. Lucie.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be sent to the Captain Gene Bridgeman Scholarship Fund, at 11 Oxford Place, Rockville Centre NY 11570. This scholarship will be awarded to a graduating senior at LBHS who demonstrates a spirit of benevolence towards others.