MOUNTAIN CITY, Tenn. (WJHL) — He served his community, and now they’re returning the favor. Sheriff Eddie Tester will forever be remembered, and now his name is cemented in history, with a bridge bearing his name.

People gathered Saturday morning in the Mountain City Courthouse for the dedication ceremony. The Eddie Tester bridge is located at the intersection of Roan Creek and Doe Creek roads.

His wife, Brenda, received an honorary sign in recognition of her late husband, who passed away in 2023. State Representative Timothy Hill helped make the dedication possible.

Brenda Tester told News Channel 11 that the bridge has a special meaning to her and her late husband.

“The year that he died, we bought a camper,” said Brenda. “We bought the camper in May, and weekends on weekends we would go down with the camper to the lake, and we would sit, and that was his favorite place, and we would cross that bridge.”

She also said that everyone who showed up is now considered family.

“You know what he would say, ‘it’s nothing but a… show,'” Brenda told the crowd. “Well, I think it is – I’ll always consider everybody family. Thank you.”

“Eddie Tester was an absolute pillar of Johnson County, and really, the region. And a dear friend,” said Rep. Hill. “He was a friend of mine for years. But, more than just being my friend, he was a friend to everyone in Johnson County.”

Both Rep. Hill and Brenda Tester want people to remember Eddie Tester as someone who loved his community. Through the bridge, his name will live on for decades to come.