At home, surrounded by love, Bruce Shepherd MacLean passed away peacefully on Dec. 2nd, after a courageous battle with cancer. Bruce was born on October 18th, 1946, in Kingston, Ontario. He is survived by his wife, Nancy, his children Stephen (Susie,) Susan Pilat (Greg,) and David (Barb,) his grandchildren Alexis, Tyler, Matthew, Owen, Dylan, Danika and Asher, his sister Joyce (Ed,) his brother Barton (Barbara,) sisters and brothers-in-law Sheila and Jim, Bonnie and Bob, Cliff and Kerry, many nieces, nephews, cousins and wonderful friends. He was predeceased by his parents, Jesse and Violet, and parents-in-law Clifford and Isabell. Bruce was a member of Oakbank United Church.
Raised on the family dairy farm near Napanee, Ontario, Bruce attended the University of Guelph, earning his BSc and MSc in agriculture. That’s where he met Nancy, and it was love at first sight. They were married in 1973, and later became proud parents to their three children.
Bruce’s career was varied. He worked for federal and provincial departments of agriculture in PEI, Newfoundland and Manitoba, taught at Sir Sandford Fleming Community College in Lindsay, Ontario, did mapping and development plan work for many Manitoban rural municipalities, and developed the civic address system used throughout much of rural Manitoba. This he considered to be his greatest professional legacy, as it helped to save lives. Later in life, Bruce also worked in the automobile industry.
Bruce loved life’s simple things – reading, particularly about World War history, curling, picking blueberries, getting the mail, trees, making maple syrup, collecting stamps and just about anything else, eating baked beans, watching Jets games, doing jigsaw puzzles. He loved travelling with Nancy. His greatest passion, however, was for Studebaker classic cars, and stemmed from the vehicles his Dad drove when he was a kid. Indeed, Bruce came home from the hospital as a newborn in a 1941 Studebaker. That’s when his love affair started, and he spent many, many hours with his Dad and later, in our own garage with his own children, restoring Studebakers . His enthusiasm was “over the top,” and led to two business ventures – “Nostalgic Auto Products,” and “Nostalgic Vehicle Appraisals.” He definitely had an entrepreneurial streak. Bruce was well respected as a classic car appraiser.
Bruce was a “fixer.” He had inherited the MacLean gene for trying to fix almost anything, and in most cases, he could! That’s how he faced his illnesses, both coronary and then cancer. He tried everything he possibly could to fix himself, and it was only recently, when no more fixes were available, that he gave in to the battle. He was an amazing warrior who never once complained.
Bruce cherished his family. He loved and admired his sister and brother, he held his wife dear and was so proud of his children, and he adored his grandchildren, taking them for rides in his Studebaker truck. He was a much loved brother, husband, Dad and “Pa” with a wonderful sense of humour. He taught us the importance of hard work, conviction, courage and never giving up. He will be greatly missed.
Many thanks to Doctors Dueck, Wong, Butler and Clark, Winnipeg and Selkirk Cancer Care, the IE Palliative and Home Care teams, and Oakbank Pharmasave. Thanks also, from the bottom of our hearts, to all those friends and family members who have supported us in so many ways over the past 22 months. It has been a difficult road for our family to travel, and we couldn’t have done it without you.
Donations to CancerCare Mb or Oakbank United Church would be appreciated in Bruce’s memory. A celebration of Bruce’s life will be held when Covid subsides.
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Our most sincere sympathies to the family and friends of Bruce MacLean Wednesday December 2nd 2020..
Death notice for the town of: Oakbank, Province: Manitoba