Bruce James Gielow

Born May 21, 1940 in Oak Park, Illinois to the late August Gielow and Esther Wendt Gielow, Bruce was the middle of three children. He grew up in Chicago and Oak Park, Illinois. He attended Grace Lutheran Grade School and graduated from Oak Park and River Forest High School in 1958. He attended University of Kansas for one year before obtaining an Associate in Arts from Wright Junior College in 1962. Then he served in the United States Army stationed at Ft. Holabird in Maryland. He and his family moved to Elgin, Illinois in 1968. He worked for Automatic Electric for 12 years and retired in 1991 from Contel in DeKalb after 13 years. In his retirement he drove school buses for Burlington School District 301. Bruce was a lifelong member of the Lutheran Church Missouri Synod and an active member of the Elgin Elks Lodge #737.

On May 22, 1971, he was united in marriage to Sandra Bredthauer, in Algonquin, Illinois. He was the proud and loving father of Rebecca Gielow. In their retirement, he and his wife loved to travel. They traveled to Europe many times, Africa, Canada and throughout the United States. He enjoyed one last trip to Hawaii in January 2014.

Bruce will be always remembered by his wife, Sandra Gielow of Elgin, Illinois; daughter Rebecca Gielow of Rockford, Illinois; two brothers Richard (Marian) of Milwaukee, Wisconsin and Walter (Linda) of Georgetown, Texas; sister-in-law Phyllis Harwood; sister-in-law Betty (Craig) Panepucci, both of Elgin, Illinois; brother-in-law Jim (Pera) Bredthauer of Belvidere, Illinois; sister-in-law Joyce Bredthauer of Murray, Kentucky; numerous nieces, nephews and cousins; along with many friends who have had the pleasure of knowing him. Bruce was preceded in death by his parents August and Esther Gielow; his father- and mother-in-law, Alvin and Arlene Bredthauer; and by brothers-in-law, Thomas Harwood and Jerry Bredthauer.