Ralph Arland “Whitey” Bruce, Jr., was born Sept. 30, 1942, in McPherson, Kansas to Ralph Arland Bruce, Sr. and Doris Elizabeth (Clark) Bruce and passed away May 10, 2022, in Lincoln, at the age of 79 years, 7 months, and 10 days.
He learned at an early age how to work hard, either on his grandparents' Kansas farm or with his dad’s small business that moved land drilling rigs. As a young man, he learned every operation on a drilling rig and mastered working derricks – one of the most difficult and dangerous jobs there is on a rig. His love of drilling took him to California, Wyoming, and ultimately to Louisiana, where he met and married the love of his life, Mary Louise Meyers, on March 4, 1967. He affectionately referred to her as his “Cajun Pierre.” Mary had a young son at the time, Jerry, whom Ralph adopted as his own. They soon added two daughters to the mix, Dawn and Suzanne (Susie), along with dogs, cows, horses and just about any other animal that happened by. He doted on his family and was a solid provider who shared his “wit kit” and strong work ethic. He worked on many rigs in the Gulf of Mexico, rising to the rank of tool pusher before the industry experienced a serious recession in the late 1980s. He, along with thousands of coworkers, were forced to find new careers, and he fell back on one of his old loves, cross-country trucking. Ralph logged more than four million miles in semi-trucks and crossed every state in the United States as well as Canada.
In April 2007, his life was forever changed by a tragic accident that left Mary paralyzed. Ralph left his driving job and resettled in Seward to help care for her. He was a devoted husband and loving caregiver and would do anything to make Mary happy. To get him out of the house for a bit and give him some respite, he took a job at Plains Equipment, the local John Deere dealership. He spent 10 years hauling combines and tractors to different locations, working in the shop and around the yard, and keeping his coworkers on their toes with jokes and funny stories. Those coworkers became like family to him and were near and dear to him. He made the difficult decision to retire for good in 2018, after his health started declining. He never rested, however. Even in the hospital, he would work in his sleep, moving his hands and talking about fixing this carburetor or changing a gasket. He was a skilled mechanic and could fix just about anything with a motor, and by memory, could tell his kids over the phone what to listen for to diagnose and fix their car problems.
Ralph enjoyed listening to a variety of music, reading and reading his collection of Louis L’amour novels and cutting his grass with his well-kept John Deere mower. Fishing was his favorite pastime, and he was very skilled. He caught more fish than you could count including several hammerhead sharks, grouper and red snapper from his beloved drilling rig platforms in the Gulf of Mexico. He adored his grandkids and would do anything to help them out. He had a very special place in his heart for his one and only granddaughter, Rhiannon and his niece, “Uncle Sarah” with whom he shared a birthday. Many have said that he should have written a novel, because he had a million stories about his adventures in life and almost all of them were funny.
He was preceded in death by his parents; his wife of 44 years, Mary; brothers, Gary and Stanley.
Left to cherish his memory include his son, Gerald (Jerry) Bruce of Friend; daughters, Dawn Burns of Minot, North Dakota, and Suzanne (Darko) Gligorevic, of Seward; sisters, Faye Ann (Harris) Terry and Anita (Rick) Lawrenz of McPherson, Kansas; brother, Charles (Kay) Bruce of Wichita, Kansas; sisters-in-law, Saundra Bruce and Laura Bruce, both of McPherson; grandchildren, Rhiannon Burns and fiancé, Zach Arneson, James (Lisa) Burns, Nikolas Gligorevic, Stefan Gligorevic and Damien Gligorevic; great-grandchildren, Hunter Burns, Austin Arneson, and Baby Girl Arneson (joining the family in June); many well-loved nieces and nephews, and a host of friends.
A memorial service was May 16. Condolences may be left for the family online at www.zabkafuneralhome.com.
