Cory Bridges, 67

Cory Stephen Bridges, 67, of Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, died Monday, Sept. 21, 2026, after living with pancreatic cancer for four years. He spent most of his life in Coeur d’Alene, where he built a career as a teacher and coach and raised his family.

Born Dec. 30, 1958, in Long Beach, Calif., Cory was the son of Everett “Rocky” Bridges and Mary “Buddy” Alway Bridges. His father played Major League Baseball, and baseball became an enduring thread in the Bridges family. Cory was an accomplished player himself and later passed his knowledge and love of the game on to generations of young athletes, including his daughter Kelli in softball and his son Trent, who remembers baseball as its own kind of therapy for his dad. The two could spend hours working on the field, then sit in the dugout with the sprinklers running, and talk about why hitters don’t take advantage of “get-me-over” curveballs early in the count.

Cory played baseball at Boise State University for three years before transferring to Eastern Washington University in Cheney, Wash., for his final year. There he graduated and met his future wife, Debbie. They married in 1984 and spent 42 years together. Cory began teaching in 1983 and joined the Coeur d’Alene school district in 1992. 

During his career, Cory was the first baseball coach at Lake City High School when it opened in 1994, and for many summers he coached the Coeur d’Alene Lumbermen Legion baseball teams. Kelli says she still hears from people he coached about how he changed the course of their lives and how respected and loved he was as a coach. Cory retired from coaching in 2008, timing his retirement so he could watch Kelli and Trent play college ball. Cory retired from teaching in 2017 after 34 years in education. 

In retirement, Cory and Debbie spent time traveling, camping, and enjoying their grandchildren. Bow hunting was a passion for Cory and golf was a favorite way to spend time with friends. 

Cory brought the same patience, expectations, and willingness to teach to everyone he knew. Kelli remembers a father she could always count on, who raised her to be strong and independent and to believe in herself. Trent said Cory taught him respect, integrity, loyalty and humility; how to compete and how to lose; that there is no “E” on the gas tank (you just have to want it more), and that carrying the weight of life means doing it chest up, chin high.

His four grandchildren, Shay, Beck, Kamryn and Jordyn, were among Cory’s greatest joys. He was an active “fun Papa,” teaching them to love swimming, throw a ball, make a fire, and skip rocks; giving them rides in the back of his truck; and attending all their games and events. 

A perfect day for Cory would include some early morning work before it got too hot, then an afternoon at the lake. Those who knew him best could picture him there, talking with family and friends and playing in the water with his grandchildren. Later gathering everyone on the back deck for burgers and dogs and finished the day with the newest episode of NCIS, while already thinking about tomorrow’s list. His family takes comfort knowing that Cory is now keeping watch over them from heaven.

Cory is survived by his wife, Debbie; daughter Kelli Hagman and her husband, Austin, and their daughters, Kamryn and Jordyn; son Trent Bridges and his wife, Kelly, and their children, Shay and Beck; sister Mindy Galbraith and her husband, Rick; sister-in-law Becky Bridges, wife of his late brother Lance; and brother John Bridges and his wife, Teresa.

He was preceded in death by his parents and his brother Lance Bridges.

Family and friends are invited to gather and celebrate Cory’s life at Caddyshack, 1100 W. Prairie Ave., Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, on Sunday, Oct. 11, 2026, from 2 to 5 p.m.