World War II veteran Earl Bridygham would have turned 100 on Oct. 29.

Sadly, he didn’t make it to the milestone birthday, but the Tamaqua American Legion Post 173 threw a party to remember and honor him.

“He was a member here for over 75 years,” Legion Commander Dave Meredith said.

Before his March passing, Bridygham often visited the Legion, sometimes up to twice a week.

“What was his favorite saying?” Meredith questioned before answering, “He broke in at least 50 bartenders.”

Not only did Bridygham have a sense of humor, his friend Richard “Dick” Yanes remembered him as being “sharp as a tack.”

“He did the crossword puzzle — with a pen,” said Yanes, a Legion member.

The Reynolds man also had a vast knowledge of World War II, Meredith said.

“He had a library full of books plus his own personal history,” he said.

Michael Polyak, the post’s judge advocate, said that Bridygham recently began opening up about his time in the U.S. Army during World War II.

According to his obituary, Bridygham arrived in Europe at Omaha Beach around Aug. 15, 1944, and was eventually assigned to the 1st Battalion Headquarters Company, 13th Infantry Regiment, 8th Infantry Division. He spent the winter of 1944-45 in action in the Hurtgen Forest.

“Without guys like him, this world would be a whole different place,” Polyak said.

Great-nephew Barry Storch remembered how Bridygham met the late Clarence Smoyer, whose military career was told in a book titled “Spearhead.”

Bridygham got on stage during Smoyer’s May 2019 book signing in Lehighton, and told him how he was also at the battle for Cologne, Germany.

Great-nephew John Storch said Bridygham was like a grandfather to him.

He had a great sense of humor, knew everyone — and didn’t let his age stop him, John said.

When he was 95, John said, he purchased a zero-turn lawn mower. The instructions advised against those older than 65 using the equipment.

“He rode that lawn mower right until he passed away,” John said with a laugh. And when a neighbor would clear Bridygham’s driveway of snow, Bridygham — not wanting to sit still — would use his own snowblower to clear paths in his yard so he could access his game cameras and burn barrel.

Bridygham also “fought” with doctors who would advise him on what to do.

“Uncle always said, ‘I’m 99 years old. How many 99-year-olds have you worked on?’ The doctor would say, ‘None,’ ” John said. “And he’d say, ‘Then don’t tell me what a 99-year-old should be doing.’ He did this in a very nice way.”

Both Barry and John said knowing that the Legion honored their great uncle was heartwarming.

“The Legion group was his guys. Barry and I are family,” John said, fighting back tears. “But the guys at the Legion are a whole different family for him.”