Mr. Jesse Thomas Copelan, Jr., age 84, passed away on Sunday, November 9, 2025.
Funeral services were held at 2:00 PM on Wednesday, November 12, 2025, in the Historic Sanctuary of the Eatonton First Methodist Church. The family received friends from 5:00 PM until 7:00 PM on Tuesday, November 11, 2025, in the Great Hall of Eatonton First Methodist Church.
Ronald Sidney Bridgeman, 75, died in the early morning hours of Thursday, Nov. 6, 2025, at home in Jefferson. He had been diagnosed with Progressive Supranuclear Palsy, a rare neurodegenerative disease that affects movement, balance, and cognitive function, in December 2023.
He was a fierce defender of a free press, open government, and open records; a basketball fan and dog rescuer; a son and brother, sweet patootie, stepdad, and PopPop; mentor and friend.
Ron was born July 16, 1950, in Elizabethton, Tenn., to the late Edith (Weisner) and Ernest Bridgeman; the family moved to Knoxville when he was six months old. He grew up in Knoxville, attending Oakwood Elementary and Christenberry Junior High schools, and graduating from Fulton High School in 1968.
His abiding love of the Great Smoky Mountains was fostered as a member of Boy Scout Troop 49 at Emerald Avenue United Methodist Church. He