James "Jim" Allen Bridwell

James “Jim” Allen Bridwell, LTC, US Army ret., age 82, of Edwardsville, IL, passed on Saturday, January 17, 2026, at his residence.  Born in Las Vegas Nevada on November 23, 1943, to James Gilbert Bridwell (Lt. Col USAF, ret.) and Maxine Lorraine Fenwick, James Allen Bridwell was drawn to a life of service.  The eldest of four, “Jimmy” felt the responsibility of taking care of his mother and younger siblings when his father was flying missions for the Air Force.   When the family was stationed in England following World War II, Jimmy had a number of encounters with the locals at school shaping his personality into that of a fighter and protector.  Upon returning to the States the family was stationed in South Dakota where he graduated from High School.  Originally from Alton, the family eventually settled back in Edwardsville where Jim started at SIU before enlisting in the Army, graduating at the top of his class from Officer Candidate School, and ending up in Vietnam.  This began a long and distinguished military career that spanned two decades and included a number of commendations, including a Vietnam Service Medal with Four Bronze Stars, Republic of Vietnam Gallantry Cross, and US Army Commendation award.

After returning from Vietnam, Jim graduated from Southern Illinois University Edwardsville and met the love of his life, Karle Audrey Garrett.  They were married in Collinsville in 1973.  They and their son Paul spent the next 20 years living the Army family life, moving from post to post, including three years in Germany during the height of the Cold War in the Seventies.  As a young family they were very close and explored the world together with duty and hope.  Jim concluded his career with a year deployment in Turkey and finally the Army Staff College in Ft. Leavenworth where he served as an instructor in Military Doctrine.  It was a highly distinguished ending to a remarkable, 22 year career.   He retired at the rank of Lt. Colonel having retained his sense of humor and mustache.

Following his honorable discharge from the Army at the age of 46, Jim and Karle moved back to their hometown of Edwardsville and began their next chapter.   Bridwell Financial Group was born on Main Street in 1993 and thrived until its purchase by Bank of Springfield in 2017.   Over these years, Jim and Karle became dedicated to their community and built a reputation for honesty and integrity as they advised clients.  Jim created a TV show, “Your Money Matters” on Edwardsville Cable Television where he hosted numerous officials and experts on various subjects of local relevance.  Somehow, he landed an early evening spot low on the channel spectrum between Tom Brokaw and Dan Rather.  

Jim gave back to his community, and was an active member of the Rotary, serving as President on two occasions.  He also served on the Watershed Nature Conservancy Board in the early days of its founding, the Sunset Hills Country Club board, American Red Cross of Southwestern Illinois board, and the Edwardsville Cable Television Board.  Throughout his life he was committed to the success and well being of the Edwardsville community.

Jim is survived by his wife Karle of 53 years.  She was by his side at their home in his final moments.  His son Paul, wife Teresa and their three children, Mara, Max and Alexandra all of Pacific Palisades, California adored their father and grandfather, and feel fortunate to have loved and learned from this wonderful man.  Jim is also survived by his three siblings, Gina Bradford, Brad Bridwell, and Leah Bridwell, as well as nieces Heather Haberkorn, Nellie Garrett, Elizabeth McDonald and nephew Corey Philips.   

The visitation will be held on Friday, February 20th from 9:30 am to 12:30 pm at Weber & Rodney Funeral Home in Edwardsville followed by a military burial at Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery in St. Louis, MO, at 1:30 pm.  In lieu of flowers, please consider donations to Best Friends Animal Society.  Condolences may be shared online at weberfuneralhome.com.

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