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Bruce Parsons
John Bruce Parsons was born in Spokane,
Wash., on June 8, 1928, and passed away Jan. 12, 2009, in Hood
River, Ore., at the age of 80.
Bruce was the son of Harry and Leona
Parsons, formerly of Spokane, and the younger brother of Robert
Parsons, who passed away in Colorado Springs on Nov. 25, 2008.
Bruce married Dianne Lucas, of Spokane, in July of 1967. They
enjoyed 41 years together before Dianne passed away in 2006.
Most recently a resident of Hood River
and a lifetime resident of Spokane, Bruce moved to Hood River in
June of 2006 to be closer to his family. Though weak when he
arrived he soon recovered his strength and enjoyed a good 2½
years with his grand children.
Bruce was a leader in school and in
business. He served as student body president at Lewis and Clark
High School in Spokane and as an officer in the SAE Fraternity
at the University of Washington. After graduation Bruce worked
in the family contracting business.
As a young man he was also interested in
mining and worked in many capacities from staking claims to
forming and running a number of exploration companies. Bruce
loved his time prospecting for uranium around Moab, Utah.
Bruce joined the Army at 28 years old
and spent 1956 and 1957 stationed in Germany. While there he
toured extensively and was able to visit his mother’s family
farm near the Dutch German border. The farm had been in his
mother’s family for 700 years and he wrote a letter home
describing the feeling of sleeping in his grandfather’s room in
Germany just 12 years after World War II.
When Bruce returned home he worked for
Hughes Tool Company supplying the oil drillers with hardware in
New Town, N.D. He soon returned home to Spokane and formed a
contracting business with his father. Bruce and Harry then
worked together until Harry died in 1976. Bruce continued on
with the business and retired about 10 years later.
Bruce lived a good and full life. He had
drive and toughness. He enjoyed personal and professional
success, and he is remembered by friends and family with love
and respect.
He is survived by his three children:
Susan Pepperling, of Medford, Ore., John Parsons, of Kenosha,
Wis., and Scott Parsons, of Hood River. Bruce has six
grandchildren and five great-grandchildren.
A service was held for Bruce at Hawks
Ridge Assisted Living Center in Hood River on Jan. 20. A second
service will be held at a later date in Spokane, Wash. Bruce
will be laid to rest next to his wife, Dianne, in Spokane.
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