Bruce Halvorson

Bruce Douglas Halvorson was born September 18, 1951 in Crosby, North Dakota to Selmer and Glennie (Moum) Halvorson. Growing up on the western plains of North Dakota taught Bruce how to endure the bitterly cold winters and massive snowstorms. When he moved to Kansas, he used to remark that it was summer all year long and Kansans had no clue what true cold weather was. If he actually wore a coat outside, people knew that it was truly cold and that they had better prepare themselves since Bruce thought it was cold. He never needed stocking hats, long johns, or even gloves and he would be teased that North Dakota babies were born with an extra layer of fur.

Bruce enjoyed his childhood years with his best friend and baby brother, Boyd who was 2 years younger plus their two cousins, Jean and Marcene Halvorson. Another true friendship that lasted through the years was with Jerome Hallgren. When all five got together, there was never a dull moment and they would inevitably get into situations that usually ended up with everyone getting into trouble. From the sounds of it, there was usually one particular child that was the instigator and you can probably guess which one was responsible. Bruce used to talk about the many fights he and Boyd would have when they were little. Finally, their dad decided to buy them boxing gloves and when they would start fighting, Dad would tie on the boxing gloves, put them in the basement and tell them not to stop fighting. Bruce admitted that after several minutes of swinging those big gloves around, they could hardly lift their arms to swing anymore and would end up laughing uncontrollably. The fight was over and those Halvorson boys were once again best friends.

In his early teen years, Bruce learned early about the workings of the automobile and figured out how to overhaul a car that could blow the doors off the competitors in the quarter-mile drag. Of course, he would hit the occasional telephone pole or other obstacle that would put his car back into the garage but it wouldn’t take long to complete repairs and before you knew it, he was back on the quarter-mile drag strip.

Bruce was also very athletic, playing baseball, basketball and of course football. One of his high school football coaches commented that Bruce was a miniature Bronko Nagurski because of his tenacity and desire to knock anyone down and off the field wearing an opponent’s uniform. Being small in stature did not force Bruce to back down from a larger foe, either on the field or off and he learned that being smaller meant he had to strengthen his muscles, get smarter, and use his wits to overcome a larger opponent. This helped prepare him for his next journey into adulthood.

Shortly after Bruce graduated in 1969 from Divide County High School in Crosby, Uncle Sam sent him a “Welcome to the Army” letter and informed him that his number came up in the draft. Even though he was only 3 miles from the Canadian border and could have walked across the border to avoid the draft, he felt it was his duty to follow orders and knew it was a way to keep his younger brother, Boyd, from being sent to the strange land in Vietnam. Basic training and boot camp took place in various locations throughout the nation including Missouri, Arkansas, Georgia and New Jersey. Before he knew it, his orders to report to Vietnam arrived and he found himself landing in Vietnam on Christmas Day, 1969. It didn’t take long before he found himself spending weeks at a time in the jungle, engaging in firefights and quickly learning survival skills. He was moved into Special Forces where he was responsible for search and recover of his fallen comrades. He received accommodations for sharp shooter and hand-to-hand combat by the time he finished his tour in January 1971.

Upon his return to the United States, when the oil boom had moved into North Dakota, Montana and Idaho, Bruce joined crews in the drilling for oil. Having learned how to endure the bitter cold winters of North Dakota as a child, it was no problem to work on the oilrigs in the dead of winter. It wasn’t long before his brother, Boyd joined him working the rigs and the Halvorson boys were once again together, best friends working side-by-side.

By the late 1970’s Bruce moved to Canon City, Colorado, establishing a horse ranch and hunting guide service where he would take tourists into the mountains for hunting trips. It was also there where Bruce would start one of the most special and important jobs of his life…becoming Daddy to Brandi Nicole Halvorson on September 30, 1983. Being the daughter of a horse rancher meant that little Brandi would quickly learn to ride a horse and she did not disappoint her daddy. Bruce talked of one horse in particular that was rather a devil at times and would think nothing of bucking Bruce off to the ground, even breaking his arm. However, when Bruce would place Brandi in the saddle, the horse was as gentle as a lamb, not making any dangerous or sudden moves. However, once Brandi was out of the saddle, the orneriness returned and the struggle between horse and man was on again. With her Daddy’s help, Brandi became a very skilled rider that eventually led to her later horsemanship competitions in which she scored very high scores. In addition, since Brandi had a beautiful singing voice, her Daddy enjoyed listening to the many songs she performed.

The mid-1980’s found Bruce beginning his career as an over-the-road truck driver. He would be out on the road driving flatbed semis from coast to coast for 3 to 4 months at a time. He eventually settled in Fargo, North Dakota and became partners in a trucking company that pulled convertible hopper trailers until the mid-1990’s. However, fate was intervening and Bruce found himself again on the move to Colby, Kansas in July 1995. Bruce walked into the offices of Keller & Johnson Transport on July 5, 1995 and met Paula Riedel, the girl all his Kansas friends were telling him about and insisting that he meet. Paula had also been told all about Bruce and that she really needed to meet the cowboy from North Dakota. When Bruce introduced himself to the company dispatcher, Paula asked him if he would like a cup of coffee and Bruce responded by asking, “Does a bear ______ in the woods?” (If you know Bruce well, you can figure out the word to fill in the blank). Paula was won over but it took until September for them to give into the shy looks, smiles and giggles and finally go out on their first date.

Paula asked Bruce to supper so he could meet her daughters, Carrie and April. The Riedel household consisted of three females and a tomcat that had never been around males. Paula figured this relationship could go nowhere because her daughters wouldn’t be impressed by a rugged, tattoo-covered truck driver who knew nothing about young girls and decided the cat wouldn’t care one bit for a man. However, it didn’t take long for both Carrie and April to be completely enamored by Bruce and the cat was lying in his lap purring and enjoying the petting Bruce was delivering. Paula was completely, head-over-heals in love and Bruce was in the same fix. By the following year, Bruce decided he wanted to become a permanent part of this ready-made family and on September 21, 1996, they were all joined in marriage with Carrie and April giving their mother away to the cowboy from North Dakota. The creation of this new family filled the needs in each person’s life.

Even though Bruce trucked weekly to Fresno, California, he still made it back to attend each of the girl’s sporting events, cheering from the stands and scolding if they didn’t play up to their potential. By 1998, Bruce realized that he was missing too much of his new family setting so he retired from trucking in November, never missing any of the activities Carrie and April participated in. He began working for Carl Ziegelmeier as a farm hand, enjoying the solitude of tractor driving, hauling grain to the elevators during harvest, and even taming down the many enormous bulls by hand-feeding them twice a day. The best thing was that he was home every night with his family, taking part in day-to-day activities and watching the family bonds grow stronger with each passing day. He didn’t even mind when the both girls began calling him “Brucie”, the name he answered to throughout the remainder of his life.

In 2003, Bruce went to work in Oakley, Kansas as a spray rig operator where he learned all about crop spraying, chemicals, blending formulas, and calibration. He truly enjoyed the work but more important, he began to build lasting relationships with his co-workers as well as the many area farmers who became his very good friends. Bruce took his job very seriously and understood that one mistake could cost a farmer his entire crop for the season so he carefully studied processes, asked for lots of advice and made sure the job he did was perfect. He would often take Paula along to check the fields of his farmers to admire crop growth or swear at the drought. He teamed up with JJ Denny in 2010 at Crop Production Services in Oakley and along with their highly competent team of assistants, made the Oakley location successful. However, it was more than a business being successful—it was creating lasting friendships that Bruce treasured and he always felt so blessed to call JJ, Kevin, Josh, Ryan, Justin, Lynn and many more CPS associates “friend.”

One thing that Bruce never lost sight of was his love for his three girls. He and Brandi may have been separated for a few years by miles but his love for her never faded. He felt blessed to visit in September, renewing the relationship with Brandi, her boyfriend Clyde Bishop and three children Shelby, Layla and Daulton, who called him Grandpa and brought a smile to his heart. It comforted him to see his little girl so happy and her life complete with a man that loved her unconditionally and the three children that called her “Mom”.

When Travis Towns asked Bruce for his blessing to marry Carrie, Bruce felt complete happiness knowing that Carrie had found the love of her life with such a wonderful young man. Bruce was delighted to take Carrie wedding dress shopping and purchased the perfect dress for Carrie. He was so proud to escort Carrie down the aisle alongside her own father to give her away in marriage to the man that had captured her heart.

A few days before he went to be with God, Bruce was once again asked for his blessing by a young man who had fallen in love with April, the youngest of his girls. While Bruce lay in the hospital bed, Scott Baker presented a family heirloom ring, a symbol of Scott’s promise to love April forever, until the end of time. The first time the two men met, Bruce knew that Scott was a perfect match for April and the fact that Scott showed the promise ring to Bruce even before April had seen it was proof that he was the right person to make April’s life complete.

The strong bond of love shared by Bruce and Paula cannot be destroyed, even by cancer. If anything, this love grew stronger through Paula’s battle with cancer and even more so through Bruce’s three week battle. The memories in her heart can never be taken and it is those memories that will keep her strong and able to endure the heartache of his absence. He is not gone from her—he will continue to be with her, making her strong and determined.

He was preceded in death by his parents; brother Boyd Halvorson; sisters, Hazel Morales and Gayle Olsen.

He is survived by his wife Paula, Gem; daughters Carrie and husband Travis Towns, Monument, April Riedel and boyfriend Scott Baker, Goodland and Brandi Halvorson and boyfriend Clyde Bishop, Pueblo, CO; grandchildren, Shelby, Layla and Daulton; sister Sylvia (Stan) Stefan, Botthell, WA and many nieces and nephews.

The family has chosen cremation and will received friends 3-5:00 p.m. Sunday, December 29, 2013 at Baalmann Mortuary, Oakley. Memorial Service will be 2:00 p.m. Monday, December 30, 2013 at Baalmann Mortuary, Oakley. Memorials are suggested to the Northwest Kansas Foundation for Hope or Northwest Kansas Animal Shelter in care of Baalmann Mortuary, PO Box 204, Oakley, KS 67748. Online condolences: www.baalmannmortuary.com