Charles "Chuck" C. Bruce

Chuck was born to Clarence Charles and Helen Lucile (Chipps) Bruce on January 14, 1934 in Red Oak, Iowa. He graduated from Afton High School in 1952.

Chuck then went on to serve our country as a Staff Sargeant for the United States Air Force. He was stationed in Japan during the Korean Conflict as an ATC Radio Repairman. Chuck returned from 4 years of service and attended Creston Junior College, Creston, Iowa beginning in 1957 and then graduated in 1959. He was honorably discharged from the Air Force after also serving within the Air Force Reserves on April 30, 1961.

Chuck started his working career as a procurement specialist at Collins Radio in Cedar Rapids. He would make regular trips back to Creston, IA to visit friends where he met Marilyn Ann Rogers. They began dating and Chuck proposed to her at Christmas, 1960. They were married on July 29, 1961 at the Lenox Methodist Church in Lenox, Iowa. They resided in Cedar Rapids, Iowa and then moved to Marion, Iowa where they raised their two boys, David Charles and Donald Dean. During this time, Chuck attended the University of Iowa and graduated in 1976 with a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration.

In 1981, Chuck and Marilyn divorced. Chuck went to live in California for a short while with his brother, Robert and then moved to Phoenix, Arizona. This is where he met Sandy (Hintz) Glaub who lived in the same apartment complex. They struck up a conversation in the complex’s laundry room and the rest was history. They were married on June 18, 1983 at the Arizona College of the Bible.

Chuck continued his career with McDonnell Douglas Helicopters (later acquired by Boeing) from where he later retired. Chuck was proud to be part of the team that built the military Apache AH-64 Helicopter.

Chuck was an avid outdoorsman and loved the sun! He and his wife, Sandy enjoyed hiking the Desert Mountains of Arizona, and they especially loved the scenic views from the North Rim of the Grand Canyon. They loved to travel including trips to Switzerland, Germany and a cruise to Alaska. Chuck enjoyed building and flying model airplanes, listening to jazz music, cherished spending time with their dogs Sadie and Susie, and would always end his day with a glass of wine.

He is survived by his son Don (Mollie) Bruce of Bloomington; his step-daughter, Sally Patafio of Moreno Valley, CA and daughter-in-law, Valerie Bruce of Marion, IA. Also surviving are seven grandchildren; Adam, Amanda, and Emily; Stephanie and Christina; Alex and Andrea; 11 great-grandchildren; and many nieces and nephews.

Preceding Chuck in death were his parents, Clarence and Helen Bruce; his wife, Sandy; his son, David Charles Bruce; and his siblings, Robert Bruce, Betty Ann Blair and Marilyn Lacina.

A special thank you to all of the staff at The Carriages of Bloomington for their love and care during his residency.

To share condolences with the family or view his online tribute, please visit www.eastlawnmemorial.com

A private online family Celebration of Life will be scheduled for a later date.