With each subsequent fourth-quarter touchdown by the Chiefs – there were three in the span of just a few minutes – Bruce Van Noy’s cheers got a little louder. And his vertical jump got a little higher.
That’s right, the Chiefs’ triumph in the Super Bowl this past February was enough to make Bruce get out of his favorite recliner and jump for joy. He may have been in Mission, Texas, but the longtime Kansas City-area resident didn’t mind letting the neighborhood know that his favorite team had finally won the big game.
“He was jumping up and down and screaming,” his wife, Mona, said. “It was a great moment. He said, ‘Finally, they did it.’”
It was one of the many magnificent moments in a life well lived. Bruce was a Vietnam veteran who served in the U.S. Army before working for the U.S. Postal Service for 30 years. He retired to Texas in 2012 with Mona.
Bruce, 70, lost his battle with cancer on May 17, but he never lost his zest for life.
Or his desire to work with his hands.
“He always had a project he was working on,” Mona said. “Woodworking, painting or just general work around the house – that’s what he loved to do. Every day, I would always ask him, ‘Are you going to your office?’”
The office was the garage, where Bruce kept his tools – the tools that helped him build a 12-foot tall cathedral-like flower beds for Mona’s roses, petunias or poinsettias. And a wooden frame – complete with lights – that went around their fireplace.
“He just loved to work in the home,” Mona said.
Mona could have said homes. The couple had three residences since retiring to Texas. And Mona liked to joke that Bruce would get new homes just to find new projects.
Of course, retirement wasn’t all work. Bruce liked to get away, too. The couple took multiple cruises a year – often to the Caribbean or Mexico. Cabo San Lucas was their favorite destination.
And while lounging on the high seas or staying at a resort always was a thrill, nothing could top his time with Mona, his companion of 15 years and wife for nearly 10.
The couple enjoyed their time together in Texas – and their two dogs, Marco and Lupe. Especially when they could watch their beloved Chiefs. Bruce would be in the recliner, a cold Dos Equis in hand, taking it all in. That’s where he was, Super Bowl Sunday.
Of course, it was tough going for most of the day. But then came the glorious end-game comeback. Touchdown after touchdown after touchdown. A moment to celebrate. A reason to jump for joy. A special day in a life well lived.
Bruce Carlile Van Noy was born on March 15, 1950 to Donald and Juanita Van Noy.
He was preceded in death by his father, Donald Van Noy of Independence, MO.
Bruce is survived by his loving wife, Mona Miranda Van Noy of Mission, TX; mother, Juanita Carlile Van Noy of Pharr, TX; children, Trudi McClure and her husband Kent of Gilbert, AZ; Warren C. Van Noy of Kansas City, Kansas; grandchildren, Loran McClure, Callan McClure, Sebastian Van Noy, Sofia Van Noy; sister, Janiece Stickel and her husband Roman of Pharr, TX; brother, Michael Van Noy and his wife Sharon of Holden, MO; his two dog children, Marco and Lupe; and numerous extended family and friends.
Services entrusted to Funeraria Del Angel, 3611 N. Taylor Road, Mission, Texas.
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