Mr Earl Wayne Bridwell Jr

Earl Wayne Bridwell, Jr. was born on December 27, 1934 and passed away on December 19, 2019 at 84 years of age.
The first child of Earl Wayne Sr. and Veda Bridwell, Earl Wayne Jr. (“Earl”) was born in the apartment above the family’s gas station in downtown Lindsay, Oklahoma.  Betha Lea, Earl's only sister, was born three years later, and the family moved from Lindsay to raise their children on their nearby farm.  The children attended schools in Alex, Oklahoma where Earl participated in all sports offered and succeeded academically.  After high school, Earl attended East Central University in Ada, Oklahoma, where he earned his degree in Mathematics.  Earl was subsequently hired by the Aeronautical Chart and Information Center and relocated to St. Louis, Missouri, where he met the love of his life, Carol Lee Harmon. Earl and Carol married in 1964, and they settled in Oklahoma City where they raised their two daughters, Kamm and Kyla.  At a very young age, Earl became a devout Christian, and Earl’s dedication to his faith and to his responsibilities as a husband and father were exemplified in every aspect of his life.  Earl treasured his wife and his two daughters, and later in life, he cherished the role of being “Papa” to his beloved grandchildren.  In addition to raising a beautiful family, Earl was a successful entrepreneur who personally built and operated an empire of car washes, warehouses, and self-storage facilities.  Earl had an unrivaled work ethic, and he embodied that work ethic every single day of his life.  In spite of all of his successes, Earl always remained a kind, gentle, and compassionate man who consistently strived to live his life following in the footsteps of his Lord and savior, Jesus Christ.
Earl is survived by his wife, Carol Lee, his daughters, Kamm Howie and Kyla Jacobson, his sons-in-law, John Howie, Jr. and Eric Jacobson, and his grandchildren, John Howie, III, Jake Howie, Hartley Howie, and Ethan Jacobson.  He is also survived by his sister, Betha Lea Everett.
The family will be gathering for a graveside burial service at Resthaven Cemetery in South Oklahoma City at 1:00 pm on Saturday, January 4, 2020, and they will be receiving guests at their home at 12809 Lorien Way, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma at 2:30 pm that same day.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to the Alzheimer’s Foundation at www.alz.org in honor of Earl Wayne Bridwell, Jr.