Pat Bruce Obituary

Patricia Ann Campbell Bruce, 83, passed away on February 13 in Lawrence. She was born March 13, 1939, in Melvern, KS. She attended Melvern High and the University of Kansas, and in 1961 became the first person in her family to graduate from college. Following several years in retail, she began a long career at the Kansas Dept. of Labor in Topeka. Upon retiring in 2005, she continued working essentially full-time as a volunteer at Just Food, the Lawrence Public Library, the Topeka Genealogical Society and Kansas Public Radio.

A major KU basketball fan since the 1940s, she saw Clyde Lovellette and Wilt Chamberlain play in Hoch Auditorium, watched her team win four national championships and was among the thousands flooding Mass Street after the win in 2008.

Pat loved music, reading, genealogical research, British detective shows, gardening, good and bad puns, her friends and family. She is preceded in death by her parents, Frank and Blanche Campbell, and by her sister and nephew, Virginia and Bob Freeman. She is survived by her children, Heather, Gavin and Cameron, their spouses and five grandchildren. A celebration of life will be held this coming spring. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in her honor to Just Food in Lawrence, the Lawrence Public Library or KPR.