Bruce Moorer

“Our breath is brief, and being so

Let’s make our heaven here below

And lavish kindness as we go.

~Robert Service

Bruce Moorer was born on January 20, 1955, and passed from this world on March 25, 2022, after a swift fight with brain cancer. He was 67 years old.

Bruce was born in Chehalis, Washington, the eldest child of Winfred and Beverly Moorer. His childhood years were spent in Lewiston, Idaho, and Spokane, Washington, until his family settled in Moscow, Idaho. The eldest of four, and consummate “big brother”, he shepherded his siblings Mary, Mark, and Becky. As children, they spent their summers in Ethel, Washington with their beloved grandmother, Anna Judd, spending their days, fishing, picking berries, and helping their grandmother and their uncle Bob with household and yard chores. Bruce held a special place in his heart for those days and the memories made with his siblings and grandmother. Bruce graduated from Moscow High School, before enrolling at the University of Idaho to study accounting. A proud U of I Vandal, he was also a member of the Delta Chi fraternity, where he made life-long friends and perhaps made some questionable decisions (his words).

After graduating with his accounting degree, Bruce moved to Yakima to work for Boyd Olofson and Company, where he began his life-long career as a Certified Public Accountant, a career he loved so much. In addition to providing public tax services, Bruce also taught accounting at Heritage University, City University, and Yakima Valley College. On February 16, 1982, he asked a girl he had met named Debbie Anderson out on a dinner date. That was the end of Bruce’s bachelor days. In 1984, Bruce then transitioned to a position as the C.F.O. and Company Treasurer of Haney Truck Line/Quality Transportation, where he began his lasting friendship with one of the most cherished and influential people in his life, Dennis Richardson. In 2008, after 25 years with Quality Transportation, Bruce returned to public accounting, as a partner with Villbrandt, Stark, and Moorer and then as the principal of Moorer & Co., PLLC. A true “numbers guy”, Bruce loved accounting and valued the friendships he built with his many clients over the years.

Bruce and Debbie were married in Yakima on June 1, 1985, at St. Paul Cathedral in Yakima. Their greatest joys came in 1994 and 1997, when their two daughters, Claire, and Olivia, were born. Bruce would tell anyone who would listen that his family was his greatest accomplishment. He was thrilled when his second-born daughter, Olivia, became engaged to be married in November 2021, welcoming his new son, Caleb, into the family. A cradle Catholic, Bruce was faithful to his church and to Catholic Education.

Bruce loved the outdoors. He was an avid hunter and fisherman. Every fall, he hunted deer in Sun Valley and elk in the Selway. He so looked forward to hunting the “big one” with Dennis, Mike, Dave, and Red Richardson, as well as hunting buddies, Johnny George, and John Gavin. Bruce also enjoyed his bird hunts in the Lower Valley with friend, Bill Hayes, and goose hunts in Hermiston with Dennis, Bill Von Stubbe, Bob Hall, and his 4-legged Brittany friends, Lilly, Darby, and Charlie-girl. Halibut and salmon fishing trips with the Richardson’s to Petersburg, Alaska were also a yearly event that Bruce loved. Fishing the Yakima River with the flies that he tied himself was one of Bruce’s favorite and most peaceful pastimes. Golfing at the Elks and taking his 4-legged friends to the driving range in the wee hours of the morning always made his day. Forever a Gonzaga basketball fan, Bruce was particularly thrilled when both Claire and Olivia attended and then graduated from Gonzaga. Watching the Zags play with the local Zag fan group was something Bruce looked forward to. He loved his family trips to Sun Valley and Cannon Beach. He and Debbie visited CB several times per year, enjoying a cold one at Bill’s Tavern, long walks on the beach, and an always delicious dinner at the Wayfarer Restaurant. Bruce gardened with Debbie, loved to watch Hallmark movies with her, and so enjoyed summer evenings on the back patio, just chatting and drinking a glass of wine. As a younger man, Bruce belonged to the Yakima Tennis Club, played racquet ball, city league basketball, and city league softball. He also loved skiing at White Pass, and hiking in the Yakima River Canyon with his favorite dog.

Bruce was a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants, Washington State Society of Certified Public Accountants and earned additional credentials as a Forensic Accountant. He was a member of the Knights of Columbus, the YMCA, Sunrise Rotary, and St. Paul Cathedral. He also served on the Boards of Allied Arts, The Yakima Housing Authority, and the YMCA, among others.

Six weeks before his death, Bruce was diagnosed with Grade/Stage 4 glioblastoma; six tumors managed to rob him of his memory and cognition, but never his love of family.

A few weeks before he died, as he began to drift away, he told his daughters that he loved them, and to “take in these moments; you don’t know when they’ll come next.”

Bruce was preceded in death by his parents, and brother Mark Moorer. He is survived by his wife of 36 years, Debbie; daughters Claire and Olivia; sisters Mary Senko and Becky Rathbun; in-laws JoAnn Anderson, Mike Senko, Greg Anderson, Andrea Anderson, Teresa Anderson, and Thor Amundson; numerous nieces and nephews; his “best dog” Charlie-girl and favorite cat, Patti. He is also survived by his dear friend Dennis Richardson, Gin Rummy Partner Ken Flaks, and Friday Breakfast Buddies Paul Larson, John Rennie, and Ken Wagar.

The family would like to offer thanks and gratitude to Dr. Richard Sloop and Dr. Peter Nora of Swedish Hospital and to the loving nurses and care givers at Covenant House who cared for Bruce in his final days.

Viewing is scheduled for Friday, April 1, 2022 at 4:00 at Keith and Keith Funeral Home with a Vigil to follow at 5:00. Mass of Christian Burial will be held on Saturday, April 2, 2022, at 10:00 am at St. Paul Cathedral. A celebration of Bruce’s well-lived life will follow at La Salle High School, 3000 Lightning Way in Union Gap. Bring your memories and stories as we eat, drink, and raise a Guinness to Bruce. Memorials in Bruce’s name can be made to La Salle High School to help fund students, or to the YMCA.

Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.keithandkeith.com for the Moorer family.