Christopher Hazard Bridgeman, age 49, died Feb. 9, 2011, while skiing on Bald Mountain. If you are not sure who Chris was, you probably saw him walking his dog, Hunter, down Warm Springs Road or skiing Baldy. He never missed a day this ski season and rarely missed any days of past seasons. He could often be found at his family's Warm Springs home making world-class cuisine for his wife of 17 years, Lucimari, and their 16-year-old son, Alex. Always together during the evenings, they might be watching TV, talking or laughing about the random things in life.
Chris was born in Malibu, Calif., as the only child of Bill and Jacqueline Bridgeman. In his younger years, he enjoyed surfing and tennis as well as family ski vacations to Sun Valley. Chris loved the good life. He spent many days traveling with his wife and son to Brazil, Japan and across Europe, particularly Portugal where he met Lucimari and where their son, Alex, was born. They continued to live in Portugal for nine years, at which point Chris wanted a change. Lucimari said Chris was one to venture off the beaten path, landing them in Ketchum in 2002.
Most recently, Chris and his family had been spending time in Costa Rica, with the greatest priority of his life always being to take care of Alex and Lucimari. Right or wrong, he wasn't afraid to live life his own way. He read a lot of Hunter S. Thompson and saw value in the way that Hunter lived and expressed himself. Consequently, he provided his wife and son with many humorous stories and memories to last a lifetime.
A memorial service, open to all friends, will be held Sunday, Feb. 27, at 6 p.m. in River Run Day Lodge.
