Bruce Anderson Royer

Beloved husband, father, grandfather, great-grandfather, uncle and friend, Bruce passed into the loving arms of his heavenly Father on Saturday, Oct. 20, 2007, while surrounded by his family in the Butterfly Wing of Baton Rouge Hospice. Born on Aug. 27, 1916, in Canton, Ill., he was reared in Morris, Ill. He married Virginia Wynkoop on Feb. 4, 1939, the year after receiving his civil engineering degree from Purdue University, where he was a member of the honorary engineering fraternity Chi Epsilon. During World War II, he served his country as a civilian with the Army Corps of Engineers. His careers in engineering and heavy equipment sales and appraising took Bruce and his family to several states and in 1958, to Baton Rouge, where he had since resided. He was a member of the American Society of Civil Engineers for more than 50 years and a member since 1956 of the General Philomen Thomas Chapter of the Sons of the American Revolution, an organization of which he was especially proud. He served as president and for several years as executive state secretary. Bruce was a 32nd degree Mason and member of St. James Lodge No. 47. He was also a member of Acacia Temple of the Shrine. A charter member and former president of the Metarie Rotary Club, he later joined the Baton Rouge Rotary club. He was a member for 49 years of First United Methodist Church, where he had ushered and served on the administrative board. Bruce is survived by Virginia Wynkoop Royer, beloved wife of 68 years; three daughters, a son-in-law, nine grandchildren and 14 great-grandchildren. This family tree includes daughter, Rebecca Schade and husband Donald, of Baton Rouge; granddaughter, Shelley Harvey and husband John, of Fort Worth, Texas, with great-grandchildren, Laura, Benjamin and Blake; granddaughter, Ashlyn Simon and husband Robert, of Fort Worth, with great-grandchildren, Brittany, Michael and Jacquelyn; granddaughter, Loren Stubbeman and husband Mark, of Leander, Texas, with great-grandchildren, Kyle and Kate; granddaughter, Paula Holt and husband Sean, of Falls Church, Va., with great-granddaughter, Samantha; daughter, Judith Wilkinson, of Lafayette; granddaughter, Virginia Wilkinson, of Chicago; grandson, Horace Wilkinson V and wife Katherine, of Denham Springs, with great-grandchildren, Grant and Grace; daughter, Deborah Landry, of St James Place, Baton Rouge; grandson, Robert Landry Jr. and wife Aimee, of Slidell, with great-grandchildren, Ryan and Olivia; granddaughter, Amy Fulkerson and husband Brian, of Jonesboro, Ark., with great-granddaughter, Mya; and granddaughter, Laura Elizabeth Bresee and husband Phineas, of Memphis, Tenn. Bruce is also survived by nieces, nephews, their families and many dear friends. He was preceded in death by parents, Charles Edward Royer and Mary Anderson Royer; sister, Annabelle Weber; brother, Gerald Royer; and son-in-law, Dr. Robert Landry Sr. Visitation will be on Monday, Oct. 22, from noon to 2 p.m. at First United Methodist Church, 930 North Blvd., immediately followed by religious service at 2 p.m. at the church, conducted by the Rev. Mike Hammett. Entombment will be in Resthaven Gardens of Memory Mausoleum. Arrangements are by Rabenhorst Funeral Home, 825 Government St. Pallbearers will be Donald Schade, Horace Wilkinson V, Robert Landry, Jr., John Harvey, Jr., Robert Simon, Brian Fulkerson, Phineas Bresee and Jeremy Cinman. Honorary pallbearers are George Reech, Robert Craig, Robert Dolese, Edwin Alonzo Smith, III, Donald C. Deville, Leroy Willie, Ret. Brig. Gen. Wilbur Joffrion and Dr. Dennis Ehrhardt. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to First United Methodist Church, 930 North Blvd., Baton Rouge LA 70802, or to the Louisiana Society Sons of American Revolution (LSSAR) Fund, C/O William Allerton, III, State Secretary, P.O. Box 341748, New Orleans LA 70179-7803.