Bruce S. Parsons' Obituary
It is with great honor, yet bitter-sweetness, that the family of Bruce Stewart Parsons announce his gentle passing into peace on August 10, 2013 in Gig Harbor, Washington.
Bruce was born on October 1, 1925 at Tacoma General Hospital in Pierce County to William Louis Parsons, Sr. and Vida Leona (Parks) Parsons. He was the middle child of three and was preceded in death by his parents in 1965 and 1976 respectively; his younger sister Sally Irene Parsons Burch in 1989; his eldest brother “Bill Jr.” in 1998; and his dear niece Elizabeth Alice Parsons in 2011. With Bruce’s passing, we close this chapter of our families’ “Greatest Generation” for the William Parsons’ Clan.
As his father worked the forests near Eatonville for the Tidewater Lumber Company— and then shortly later with the Eatonville Lumber Company— Bruce’s early years were spent in and near the logging camp. His family lived in a single train-boxcar as their housing. Bruce mentioned that there was “plenty of fishing and hunting of pheasants and deer.” At the tender age of three, Bruce started his life-long love for fishing with help from his brother Bill, his father and the other men of the Eatonville camp. It was a hard work life, and at times very hard and isolating, he mentioned, but the family stuck it out.
While living at the camp in the mountains above Eatonville they were joined by their new baby sister Sally in 1933. Shortly after they moved down into Eatonville. Bill Sr., Vida, Bill Jr., and Bruce moved from Eatonville in 1939—where he had attended school— to the beautiful and peaceful Burley Lagoon property in the Purdy area. Here, just outside of Gig Harbor, Bruce found his home for rest of his life.
Back in 1940 they all lived in the same garage building that remains today while the upper level bedrooms and living room additions were being built to the original little main house closest to the water. These additions were done with timber Bruce’s father acquired from the Eatonville Lumber Company. Eatonville would always remain with Bruce as a reminder of those tough days. How appropriate that he ended up living his sunset years in the apartment on top of those original timbers!
It was near Gig Harbor that Bruce attended Vaughn Union High School and graduated in 1943. At Vaughn, Bruce enjoyed playing football where he was, of course, an offensive AND defensive lineman due to his size, strength, and… “intelligence,” he said, “gots to have lots of that to be a linemen…… that and lots of ‘offensive behavior’… ”
After graduation, Bruce worked for his dad and other small outfits in the timber industry until February of 1945 when Bruce volunteered to enlist into active duty with the United States Army. Rising to the rank of Tech Corporal (Tech 5), Bruce and the men of the Trident 97th Infantry Division—in the short span of six months— “had touched both ends of the crumbled Axis, journeyed three-fourths of the way around the world…(and) had traveled over 22,000 miles— enough to gain their division’s claim as the Army’s most-traveled combat division [of WWII].” His division participated in the entire Central European campaign and was one of the few American divisions that were attacking when the end of the war came.
Bruce’s military specialty was “Ammunition Handler for Light Artillery” with focused training in Field Artillery Radio Communication/Morse Code and in FA Radio Mechanics and Repair. (A skill he would use later in life to actively make the most Rube Goldberg-esque gizmos and contraptions out of recycled ‘nothings’ and ‘everythings’ to “get the job done”. Uncle Bruce invented über-recycling before it was cool or fashionable.)
In WWII, Bruce S. Parsons received The American Theater Service Medal, The European African Middle Eastern Service Medal, The Asiatic Pacific Service Medal, his Good Conduct Medal and Victory Medal. But more poignantly, during his time of service—liberating concentration camps and establishing order and reconstruction of occupied Japan after the bombings in Hiroshima and Nagasaki— Bruce firmly established his life-long drive of compassion and generosity to help better the lives of those who were broken and in their most desperate time of need— no matter which side they were on. Be they human or animal— in any shape or size.
After WWII ended, Bruce worked for the Simpson Logging Co. at Camp Grisdale located on the southern edge of the Olympic Mountains near Montesano, WA. He enlisted in the In-Active Reserves for three years and then—“cause [he] played around with the idea of going back in and making a career out of it… and keeping [his] rank”— he enlisted for ANOTHER three more years when the Korean War broke out in 1950. Bruce, with his heavy artillery experience, made him—in his own words—a “Chosen One” and called up for duty. During his stint in Korea with the 955th Field Artillery Battalion, Bruce earned the Korean Service Medal with One Bronze Star. While being kept from his dream of being a Marine or Army Ranger due to his poor eye-sight, Bruce actively lived the motto, “Leave No Man Behind” and saved many a man from freezing to death in the cold Korean winters with his brand of encouragement and prodding.
Bruce was honorably discharged in August of 1951 where he returned to his roots in the timber industry working near the Aberdeen/Hoquiam area until 1956. For a short time his brother Bill got a contract in Concrete for Bruce to run crew while Bill provided trucking.
Within the next few years, Bruce’s sister and brother began raising a full crop of boisterous nephews and nieces to lovingly torment him. Having never married, Bruce lavishly took it upon himself to spoil, play with, nurture, chastise and inspire Bill’s children: Judy, Theresa, Libby, Lew, Mara, Ron, and his namesake, “Little Bruce” Otto Parsons as well as Sally’s knot-head trio: T. Michael, Mark, and Shari Lou Burch… and in subsequent decades Bruce would go on to boldly repeat this process with all of his 20 great-nephews and great-nieces and four “great-greats”. Which, in his words, “is what it’s all about… those kids….”
In 1957 Bruce began his most enduring timber career logging in Alaska at the Thorne Bay Camp— one of the last two remaining big time timber camps in the United States— until his retirement in 1990.
Bruce made life-long friends in Alaska and would often take his closest buddies there fishing for the best salmon in the world. He spoke often of Bob Schuck (cousin), Bob Crowell, Ginna’s husband Bob, Doc Ryan, Doctor Wada, Don & Doris Morin, Mike Hoey and Tom Mauss and his family with great fondness. (I am sure there are others that we are not aware of, but hold deep memories of fishing friendships with our dear Uncle) We are aware of at least TWO Alaskan salmon derbies Bruce had won with proof in the pictures: there is a colored picture of him with a salmon weighing 41 lbs 12 oz. and a black and white picture of him holding a salmon weighing in at a whopping 64 lbs. 8 oz— the largest fish ever caught in that river!
Throughout the sixties and seventies Bruce would continue to support his beloved mother in many ways as his father was stricken with Parkinson’s disease and needed further care. His great love for his mother, father, siblings, and cousins continued to the very end.
Before retiring permanently, Bruce finished his timber career at Camp Grisdale with his very last job being at Bangor Submarine Base passing on his artillery and other military knowledge to the next generation.
For Bruce, the retirement years meant more time to devote to his other passions. This included “Expert Fruit Tree Orchardist”—having been interviewed by the local newspaper in a full-featured spread and dubbed “The Apple Man” for his expertise in orchard care and grafting. Yes, it’s true… he grafted 8 different kinds of apples onto a single tree… it still stands right next door.
He also found more time to manage his Merrill-Lynch accounts, with his dear friend Tom Mauss, so he could be even more generous to others each day. Bruce made it a simple mission to find more ways to give to his family; more time to fish; more time to feed ducks; more time to eat at the Sunset Grill, and more time to search for popcorn tins to bestow upon us all at Christmas time while secretly truly playing the Santa Claus in his heart.
For a man who never became a father biologically, he has become a true father of inspiration, perseverance, and generosity to us all.
What’s your fondest memory of Bruce?
What’s a lesson you learned from Bruce?
Share a story where Bruce's kindness touched your heart.
Describe a day with Bruce you’ll never forget.
How did Bruce make you smile?