Bruce Lawrence Dunbar

Bruce Lawrence Dunbar, age 92 years, 8 months, passed away peacefully on August 8th, 2012 after a short illness, at his residence in Fullerton, California, surrounded by his family. Bruce was born December 9th, 1919 in Buffalo, New York, the third of Paul and Gertrude Dunbar's five children - Donald, Vernon, Norma and Donna (Patricia), all of whom, with the exception of Donna, the youngest, have preceded him in death.

Bruce loved aviation from an early age and was employed by Curtiss Wright Aircraft in Buffalo as an aircraft mechanic following his graduation from Lafayette High School. He enlisted in the United States Army Air Force during the Second World War as a crew chief aboard both C-47s and later C-46s and was assigned to the 47th Troop Carrier Squadron, 313th Troop Carrier Group. This distinguished unit provided necessary troop transport and logistics and dropped paratroopers, equipment, and supplies to where they were needed most. Notable service campaigns included Egypt and Libya in North Africa, Sicily, Naples-Foggia, Rome-Arno, Normandy, Holland, the Ardenne, Rhineland, and Northern France. His Troop Carrier Group evacuated concentration camp survivors following the end of hostilities in 1945 and remained stationed in Germany preceding the Berlin Airlift. Sgt. Dunbar received the Air Medal and other citations, having served approximately two years before traversing the Atlantic aboard the H.M.S. Queen Mary to a well deserved and long awaited homecoming.

Following the war, Bruce moved west following in the footsteps of his mother, step-father and sisters. The family settled in Long Beach, California where Bruce was employed as an electrical engineer at the Long Beach Naval Shipyard for 34 years as a civilian until his retirement in 1981. While living in Long Beach he met Marjorie Roberts Schuller of Huntington, West Virginia, who remained in California after serving as a Navy Wave in the Medical Corps while stationed at the El Toro Marine Corps Air Station during the war. They soon married and welcomed two sons into the world, had a home built, and enjoyed the good life both had worked hard to achieve.

Bruce travelled extensively for his work as a Combat Systems Specialist, and his talent and dedication was requested abroad nearly every year of his employment, where he travelled to the Far East, spending months at a time hard at work in Japan, the Philippines and Guam. When Bruce was stateside he loved to pursue his lifelong passions of reading, listening to jazz music, and target shooting and was perfectly content staying close to home and his favorite book stores and record shops. Much like his love for aviation, these passions were nurtured from an early age and continued over the entirety of his long life. Over the years he amassed an extensive library and music collection and was quite proud to have read and listened to every book and record which numbered in the thousands. Bruce had the good fortune of meeting a “Who’s Who” of aviation greats and maintained a library of several dozen books signed by historically notable pilots including Gen. Jimmy Doolittle, Roscoe Turner, The Flying Tigers, and a myriad of aces (both friend and foe alike, including Adolf Galland), Congressional Medal of Honor recipients, and the most decorated airmen of the Second World War.

Bruce’s comprehensive knowledge of jazz music, military history, classical literature and poetry, mathematics, and science fiction was unparalleled. Bruce often spent hours on the phone with his brother, sisters, and many friends reciting a vast array of poetry and song lyrics verbatim from the deep recesses of their collective memories and Bruce often wrote for and waxed poetic at more than a few memorable social occasions and retirement parties.

Shortly after his own retirement, Bruce began to open up about his experiences during the Second World War and the two years that ultimately shaped his life. Prior to this time he seldom mentioned anything to his family about his military service. As a surprise to nearly everyone, he soon contacted his squadron mates and became intimately involved in planning, organizing and attending the nearly dozen biennial squadron reunions throughout the 1980s and 1990s and was elevated to the role of President of the 47th Troop Carrier Squadron Association. He remained the longtime editor and writer of its newsletter and was greatly assisted by his son Chris in this role. He continued to be active in his squadron until a knee replacement sidelined him from attending the dedication of a monument to his squadron at the Air Force Academy in early September, 2001. The subsequent events of September 11th, coupled with an aging and infirm membership, prevented these fine ladies and gentlemen of “The Greatest Generation” from ever formally meeting again.

Bruce was instrumental in erecting additional monuments to his squadron at the Air Force Museum in Dayton, Ohio, and Nijmegen, Holland and provided valuable information and insight to a number of war historians from Holland and Great Britain. Additionally, he often corresponded with members of other squadrons who were impressed with the inner workings of the 47th TCS’s Reunion Committee and its informative newsletter. Consequently, it was not unusual for Bruce to be included in the invitations to the many events both here and abroad that commemorated D-Day and Operation Market Garden.

After Bruce lost Marjorie, his wife of 41 years, to cancer in 1996, he soon threw himself into being the best grandfather he could be for his three grandchildren. Well into his late seventies and even mid eighties, Bruce could often be found on his hands and knees under a dining room table or crawling on the floor playing with his grandkids. He was known to lavish his family with fantastic presents, and his gift wrapping abilities were legendary and second to none. Christmas reigned supreme at the Dunbar households, and Bruce’s high jinx and sense of tradition at Christmas is indelibly etched in his family’s memory. An eggnog laced with top shelf liquor or a slug of fine Single Malt Scotch or Irish Whiskey was a tradition at the Dunbar residence and neighbors and friends alike would often make an annual yuletide call to partake in the generosity of this tradition.

To all who knew him well, Bruce was known as “The Last of the Big Spenders” and always insisted on footing the bill for large family and friend get togethers, hotel stays, and travel expenses.

Bruce is immediately survived by his eldest son Christopher Dunbar and his wife Susan (Margaret and Colin) of La Mirada, California and youngest son Kim Dunbar and his wife Deborah Berlyn (Emberlynn) of Long Beach, California, his sister Donna Patricia Kinley of San Jose, California, and many additional family members, neighbors, and friends. To know where he is going, you must know from whence he came...

A Gaelic Blessing

May the road rise up to meet you,

May the wind be always at your back,

May the sun shine warmly upon your face,

And the rain fall softly upon your fields,

And until we meet again,

May God hold you in the palm of His hand.

And Another...

May you be in Heaven a minute before

the Devil knows you’re dead...

“If there are no dogs in Heaven, then when I die I want to go where they went...”

-Will Rogers

Farewell to a fine Son, Brother, Husband, Father, and “Grandpa Honey”

From Your Loving Family