Bertha Caroline Bruce was born northwest of Lowell, the eldest daughter of early West Creek pioneers, Lewis and Caroline Rudolph, on October 31, 1871, and with the exception of a few years spent in Chicago, her entire life was lived near or in Lowell.
In a service read in Chicago she was united in marriage to William Edward Bruce on June 2, 1895, and they made their home on the Bruce farm west of Lowell for 44 years. In the spring of 1939 they moved to Lowell.
Mr. Bruce passed away May 6, 1949. The couple had celebrated their 53rd wedding anniversary.
In marrying Mr. Bruce, she took into her heart and home his two young motherless children, Carrie, now Mrs. Russell Lomax of Evansville, Ind., and Bert of Lowell. Four other children were born to this marriage, Mabelle Allen of Momence, Ill., John and Garold Bruce of Lowell, and Dael Bruce of Gary. 13 grandchildren and 23 great grandchildren also survive, along with several nieces, nephews, cousins and one brother, George Rudolph, and one sister, Mrs. Lydia Bell, both of Boise, Idaho
Mrs. Bruce was a faithful member of the Lowell Church of Christ for many years and also the Good Will Circle of the Sunday School. She was a devoted mother and possessed a gentle disposition with a deep understanding of the needs of others which won her many friends.
Memorial services were held in the Eskridge Funeral Home at 2 p.m. Monday, May 14, with her pastor, Loren E. Holt, officiating. She was laid to rest beside her husband in the Lowell cemetery.
Go to Bertha Caroline Rudolph Bruce, "Pioneer History Index," for further information.
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