Obituary for Bruce Charles Anderson
Bruce Charles Anderson, age 71, of Clinton, passed away on June 16, 2019. He was born on August 4, 1947 to Carl and Ida Mae Anderson of Seattle. Bruce grew up in the Ballard neighborhood of Seattle and graduated from Ballard High School in 1965. His interests included racing and working on cars throughout his early years and there was never a shortage of stories about his times at Seattle International Raceway, or even the streets of Ballard, where there may have been a few unconfirmed stories of accidents or speeding. Bruce enlisted in the Washington National Guard shortly after high school and utilized his mechanical skills to work on tanks. He also happened to run into a nice young lady from the suburbs of North Seattle, now Shoreline, and married Judith Rae Sill in 1969.
Bruce and Judi had two sons in the early 1970's and resided on Dibble Avenue until the allure of the country called in 1975 and the family relocated to the south end of Whidbey Island. The next ten years consisted of remodeling a run-down farm house near Deer Lake.
Bruce was a firefighter/medic for the Seattle Fire Department for a time before the move and also after moving to the island. When the commute and the hours got to be a bit much he decided that working for himself would be a much better option. Utilizing his mechanical skills Bruce decided to take care of the south ends’ transmission repair needs as the owner of Whidbey Transmission. Bruce also called on his Scandinavian and Ballard roots and built his own commercial fishing boat, christened the Oly. He fished the waters of Puget Sound during the fall and also headed to Bristol Bay during the summer to assist the Kohlwes family. Later jobs included working for Janes Brothers doing estimates for lightweight concrete and infloor heating, driving trucks for Mel Simmons, and working for the Island County Roads Division.
Bruce was preceded in death by his parents and older brother Doug. He is survived by his wife of 50 years, Judi, sister Marlene of Seattle, son Jesse of Enumclaw and his children Austin and Katelyn Anderson and son Shane (Kim) and their children Gabrielle and Gunnar Benzschawel. Special thanks to the staff of Maple Ridge in Freeland and Homeplace in Oak Harbor for the care provided to Bruce over the last eight years, as well as to the staff of Whidbey Health Hospice for their compassionate care during his final days.
Arrangements have been made with the assistance of Whidbey Memorial Funeral and Cremation Service.
Bruce and Judi had two sons in the early 1970's and resided on Dibble Avenue until the allure of the country called in 1975 and the family relocated to the south end of Whidbey Island. The next ten years consisted of remodeling a run-down farm house near Deer Lake.
Bruce was a firefighter/medic for the Seattle Fire Department for a time before the move and also after moving to the island. When the commute and the hours got to be a bit much he decided that working for himself would be a much better option. Utilizing his mechanical skills Bruce decided to take care of the south ends’ transmission repair needs as the owner of Whidbey Transmission. Bruce also called on his Scandinavian and Ballard roots and built his own commercial fishing boat, christened the Oly. He fished the waters of Puget Sound during the fall and also headed to Bristol Bay during the summer to assist the Kohlwes family. Later jobs included working for Janes Brothers doing estimates for lightweight concrete and infloor heating, driving trucks for Mel Simmons, and working for the Island County Roads Division.
Bruce was preceded in death by his parents and older brother Doug. He is survived by his wife of 50 years, Judi, sister Marlene of Seattle, son Jesse of Enumclaw and his children Austin and Katelyn Anderson and son Shane (Kim) and their children Gabrielle and Gunnar Benzschawel. Special thanks to the staff of Maple Ridge in Freeland and Homeplace in Oak Harbor for the care provided to Bruce over the last eight years, as well as to the staff of Whidbey Health Hospice for their compassionate care during his final days.
Arrangements have been made with the assistance of Whidbey Memorial Funeral and Cremation Service.