Cecil Kenneth Bridges, 89, of Thornton, died Thursday (July 13, 2006) at Hospice of North Iowa in Mason City. Funeral services will be held at 11 a.m. on Monday, July 17, at Thornton First United Methodist Church with Pastor Dave Teixeira of the Ventura Missionary Church in Ventura, Calif., presiding. Interment will follow at the Ell Township Cemetery in Klemme. Visitation will be 5 to 8 p.m. today at Retz-Grarup Funeral Home, 107 N. Second St., Thornton, and one hour prior to services Monday at the church. Cecil, the youngest of seven children, was born Aug. 29, 1916, on a farm northwest of Klemme, the son of Herman and Elizabeth (Fanslow) Bridges. He attended rural schools in Hancock County and graduated from Klemme High School. Cecil married Lucille Stille on May 21, 1938, in Northwood, Iowa. He then worked for several years in the Jacobs Hardware Store in Klemme. During World War II, Cecil was a welder in the shipyards in Sturgeon Bay, Wis. In 1949, Cecil and Lucille started farming in the Thornton area and in 1954 they moved onto their own farm. During this time, Cec clerked many farm sales. He also worked for the Cerro Gordo ASCS office as a field representative, sealing corn, measuring fields, and at many local elevators sampling government corn during harvest. In 1980, Cecil and Lucille retired from farming and moved into Thornton. He was a faithful member of the First United Methodist Church in Thornton and was a member of the Thornton Lions Club for many years. Over the years, he served on the Thornton Cooperative elevator board and also on various boards of the Thornton Methodist Church. Cecil enjoyed fishing, golfing, hunting and playing cards. Cecil will be remembered mowing his lawn, for his sense of humor, his love of life, and his caring for family and friends. He is survived by his wife of 68 years, Lucille; three sons, Stan and wife, Marie, of Hampton, Rock and wife, Suzanne, of Lake Mills, Chad and wife, Sherry, of Plattsmouth, Neb.; and sister, Irene (Toots) Davis, of DeRidder, La.; seven grandchildren, LeeAnn Wickwire, Sally Stanbrough, Barry Bridges, Brian Bridges, Gail Bridges, Laurie Bridges and Amy Teixeira; two step-grandchildren, Michele Holt and Clint Fielding; 12 great-grandchildren; three step-great-grandchildren; and numerous nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his parents; three sisters, Gladys Drake, Faye Beier, and Maude Stille; two brothers, Orville and Glen (Sport); and one step-grandchild, Vince Fielding.