Wish Granted: Weeks To Live, Vet Crosses New St. Croix Bridge

WASHINGTON COUNTY, MN — Korean War veteran Jack Bohmert can die happy, having completed a historic task on his bucket list. On Thursday morning, Bohmert, 82, of Oak Park Heights became the first non-construction worker to ride across the new St. Croix Crossing bridge that connects to Wisconsin.

Bohmert was diagnosed with congestive failure in June and has since entered hospice care. He was not a candidate for open-heart surgery.

"This was a one-time deal for a very special occasion, it’s not something we would normally ever do," construction manager Terry Zoller told the Stillwater Gazette.

Bohmert's longtime partner Virginia Ritzer told the newspaper he had various things to cross out yet on his bucket list, including living until his July 17 birthday, spend time at a lake, and cross the bridge.

After having spent July 4 up at a cabin near Wisconsin's Rice Lake, Bohmert's remaining item to check off the list is to live to see another birthday.

(For more local news, click here to sign up for real-time news alerts and newsletters from Minnesota Patch, click here to find your local Minnesota Patch. Also, follow us on Facebook, and if you have an iPhone, click here to get the free Patch iPhone app.)

"It might just be days," Ritzer told the Pioneer Press. "But his brother says he’s stubborn, and that he’ll stick around."

• Final Construction Begins On St. Croix Crossing: Photos

Image via Minnesota Department of Transportation