Helen Bruce

November 24, 1926 – July 1, 2022

Helen Bruce passed away peacefully on the morning of July 1, 2022, in Kennewick, Washington at the age of 95.

Helen was born in Afton, Wyoming on November 24, 1926 being raised in Star Valley near Smoot Wyoming. She was the third child of Harry Delbert Johnson and Cleo Roberts. She was married to her high school sweetheart James Orson Bruce in the Logan, Utah Temple on Feb. 15, 1945, and graduated from high school in June of 1945. She was a loving mother of five children. Her primary occupation was homemaker, helping on a daily basis with chores of milking cows and farm related work in addition to taking care of the children. She and James moved to Moses Lake, Washington on Jan. 6, 1956. Later they took advantage of a federal land reclamation project, receiving a small farm in the Warden area. They were required to homestead a small house on the land for one year, without running water, to take possession of the land. After completing their one-year homestead they returned to live at their original residence on the peninsula in the Moses Lake First Ward.

Her life drastically changed with the death of her husband in a construction accident in November of 1966. She continued to run the Knolls Vista Tasty Freeze and shortly thereafter started attending Big Bend Community College. She graduated with an Associates of Arts degree and continued her education at Central Washington State College receiving a Bachelor of Arts in education in 1973. She was a first-grade elementary school teacher at Columbia Ridge Elementary in Ephrata for 18 years until 1991. Upon retiring from education, she had more time to spend on genealogy and family history work. That love inspired her to serve a two-year mission in Scotland for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

She supported and encouraged her children to be active in local events including athletic participation with Little League and school sports. Music was one of her true loves and she enjoyed playing and sharing her knowledge of piano with her great-grandchildren. She spent many hours helping and teaching her grandchildren and great-grandchildren to play the piano. She received tremendous joy and satisfaction in seeing her grandchildren develop their piano skills. Over the years she was very involved and dedicated to her home ward. She served in numerous callings over the years such as Primary Teacher, Young Women’s President, and Extraction Leader.

Helen is preceded in death by her husband James Bruce and her daughter Kathy Ritchie. She is survived by her children Doug Bruce (Linda), Terry Bruce (Ronda), Beth Bjork (Tom) and Randy Bruce; her 24 grandchildren and 51 great-grandchildren.

Funeral services will be held at 10 a.m. on Friday, July 8 at the Stake Center for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 1515 S. Division St., Moses Lake, Washington with graveside service to follow.

There will be a public viewing on Friday from 9 until 9:45 a.m.

Please express your thoughts and memories for the family at www.kayserschapel.com. Arrangements are under the care of Kayser’s Chapel of Memories of Moses Lake, Washington.