Bruce Sweringen

Bruce was born on August 14th, 1930 to Herbert and Selma Sweringen in Coatesville, Pennsylvania, and is survived by his two sisters, Elaine and Carol; his sons Michael, Rick and Randy, and their spouses Anna, Jan and Michael; his granddaughter Alicia and her husband James, and his great-grandson Kemper.

Bruce grew up in Hornell, New York, rang the town bell on Victory in Europe Day, paddled in a canoe through the locks on the Mohawk River as a Boy Scout, flew a Piper Cub airplane at the age of 15 and raced sailboats on the Finger Lakes. He graduated from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute with a bachelor’s degree in Chemical Engineering. During his time at Rensselaer he met Jeanette when his fraternity met with her Albany State sorority. They were inseparable and enjoyed life together.

The Korean War was just ending when he was drafted and he served in the US Army Signal Corps and was stationed in Fort Huachuca, Arizona. He was touched by his Army training and taught his sons Morse Code and fell in love with Jeeps and the desert and shooting.

Early in his career he worked for Proctor & Gamble in Cincinnati, Ohio and tackled projects such as Duncan Hines cake mixes and he saw the early development of Pringles. He took a big chance and moved to Fullerton, California to work for Hunt Wesson Foods, and was instrumental in the product development of Snack Pack, Manwich and Reddi-Whip. He became President of Van de Kamp's Frozen Foods, then a corporate manager for General Host. After turning around Freezer Queen Foods in Buffalo, NY, he worked at the corporate headquarters of Nabisco, in East Hanover, New Jersey. One of Bruce’s gifts was to ask the simple, piercing questions and to find the exact knot in any problem. He worked hard and brought a "team first" attitude to his job. He was active in the United Way campaign and spent several years on the Chatham, New Jersey zoning board. Always quick to help Jeanette with her projects, one of his most memorable creations was his yearly sparkler-topped, ice cream replica of Mount Vesuvius for her Latin class.

His friends will miss his sparkling sense of humor — he once mastered the complicated opening notes of a classical piece on the harmonica…before breaking everybody up when they realized that was ALL he knew. He liked adventures, was a lifelong learner and won the hearts of all who cared for him and came to know him in his last years. He was proud of the adventures of his sons, too, and always took delight in the “latest news” from them. We all miss him but will smile when we remember all the precious memories we shared with him.

The viewing and visitation will be held on Thursday, August 13, from 5:00pm to 8:00pm. Rosary at 7:00pm. Location: El Camino Memorial - Encinitas, 340 Melrose Ave, Encinitas, CA 92024. (760) 753-1143.

The funeral for both Bruce and Jeanette Sweringen will be held on Friday, August 14, at 11:00am. Reception to follow. Location: St. Elizabeth Seton Catholic Church, 6628 Santa Isabel Street, Carlsbad, CA 92009. (760) 438-3393.

Instead of flowers, Bruce and Jeanette would be honored by your gift to one of these three charitable organizations:

Alzheimer's Disease Research - 22512 Gateway Center Drive, Clarksburg, MD 20871

Parkinson's Disease Foundation - 1359 Broadway Suite 1509, New York, NY 10018

Disabled Veterans - 1020 19th St. NW, Suite 475, Washington D.C 20036