Bruce A. Brower

1945 - 2017

Obituary of Bruce A. Brower

Bruce A. Brower passed away April 10, 2017 in Olympia, Washington. He was born September 14, 1945 to Harold “Buck” Brower and Myril “Betty” Brower in Seattle, Washington. Bruce learned at a young age from his father to love fishing, hunting (later with a camera) and storytelling around the campfire. From his mother, he learned to love music, adventure, and the written word (including poetry). Bruce served in the U.S. Army during the Vietnam War, working in Intelligence and receiving the Army Commendation Medal. After the service, he had various jobs, including working construction, operating a small printing company, and fighting forest fires. He then began his career with the State of Washington. The job he took the most pride in was being part of the team that designed, installed, and maintained the BARCODE/IMAGING systems statewide in the Economic Services Section for the Department of Social and Health Services. Everyone who knew Bruce understood that in the summer he was off to Montana and Wyoming, camping in the woods, fishing streams of all sizes, taking photos, and reading books. He found an inner peace in those settings. Because of the time in Montana and Idaho, he became fascinated in the Lewis and Clark expedition. He read and collected dozens of journals of the participants and surrounding subject matter. When he could, he visited known sites of the expedition. His other interests were varied. He had season tickets to the Seattle Opera; visited art galleries and museums in Washington, Oregon, British Columbia, Montana, and Wyoming; and rarely found a bookstore that didn’t have something that caught his attention. His travels also gave him an interest in Native American culture and artwork. He never lost his interest in photography and, of course, his passion for computers. His latest passion was the geology of the Northwest, Montana, and Wyoming. From when Bruce was a small child, he was always interested in going out and exploring the world around him, traveling back to places he enjoyed, and then heading down the unknown road to see what was just around the next bend. He always said it was about the journey, not the destination. His spirit is now free to explore those forests and rivers, and that unknown dirt road. He is on his way. Bruce is survived by his beloved life partner and friend of more than 30 years, Jean Robinson; sister, Pat Rice; brothers, Don (Neva) Brower, Jerry Brower, Paul (Bernice) Brower, Tony (Mikki) Brower; former wife, Theresa Brower, and their sons, Craig and Jeremy Brower, and their children and grandchildren. Please leave memories of Bruce or condolences for his family in the Guestbook below.

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Service Information:

Services will be held at a later date. Bruce always supported the work of The Nature Conservancy. It is suggested that memorial donations be made to any of the state chapters in his favorite places: Montana, Wyoming, Idaho, Washington, and Oregon.