Merle L. (Smith) Bruce (2013)

BRUCE, SMITH, COOK, STOBIE, SINCLAIR

Posted By: Mary Welty Hart (email)
Date: 8/10/2013 at 10:14:01

Hadley Funeral Home, Windsor, Missouri
July 26, 2013

MERLE L. BRUCE, Windsor, Mo.

Merle L. Bruce, 98, of Windsor, Missouri, died Thursday morning, July 25, 2013, at the Golden Valley Memorial Hospital, Clinton, Mo.

Merle was the daughter of Elijah Sylvester Calvin Smith and Nora Belle (Cook) Smith and was born in Winterset Iowa on July 18, 1915. She was one of seven children. She moved to Chicago, Illinois, when she was 18. It was in Chicago that she met and married Leslie Peter Bruce on February 4, 1936 and they had three children. The family moved to Albuquerque, New Mexico, in 1947. Merle sold Stanley Home Products and worked for the Menaul Indian School in Albuquerque.

After her husband's death on April 23, 1985, she moved from Albuquerque to Windsor Missouri to take care of her mother, Nora, who lived to be 101. Merle faithfully served her Lord, remaining active in the First Baptist Church in Windsor, where she taught Sunday School and worked with Missions until God called her home. Merle was an avid gardener and became a member of the Windsor Garden Club soon after moving to Windsor. Everyone who passed by her yard can attest to her love of flowers. Rejoice with us in celebrating her life.

Merle is survived by a daughter, Beverly Stobie (Dennis) of Windsor; two sons, Robert V. Bruce (Ellen) of Clifton Tennessee and Leslie P. Bruce, Jr. (Kathy) of Duncanville, Texas; four grandsons Robert, Bill and Brad Bruce of Texas and Joshua Bruce of Alabama; two granddaughters Teri Sinclair of California, and Shanti Bruce of Florida; eleven great-grandchildren; one great-great-granddaughter; numerous nieces and nephews, and one sister-in-law Midge Smith of Sedalia Missouri. Merle was preceded in death by her parents and all of her brothers and sisters.

Funeral services will be 2:30 p.m., Monday, July 29, 2013, at the Hadley Funeral Home, Windsor. Burial will be in Winterset Cemetery, Winterset, Iowa, the following day, Tuesday, July 30. The family will receive friends before the service from 1:00 to 2:30 p.m. at the funeral home. The family suggests contributions to Wycliffe Bible Translators or First Baptist Church Windsor Living Waters Missions Ministry and contributions may be left at the funeral home. Condolences may be left online at www.hadleyfuneralhome.com