Jean Rebecca Bruce's Obituary
Jean Bruce Remembrance
Born Jean Rebecca Gilbert in Flint Michigan on December 17, 1927, She was the second of three children born to Hazel Stevenson Gilbert and Alton Dwain Gilbert. Jean had an older sister, Claire, and a younger brother Bruce. Jean’s family moved to Santa Monica California in 1937, where she graduated from Santa Monica High in 1946. The Gilbert family was devastated to lose Hazel to cancer when Jean was 16, but the experience of caring for her mother set Jean on her path to become a Registered Nurse. Jean’s third grade teacher in Santa Monica, Gladys Montgomery, would become her stepmother and play an important role in Jean’s life as mentor and friend, encouraging her to go to community college and then to nursing school. Jean attended University of California School of Nursing in Berkeley and San Francisco as a member of the 89th graduating class of 1952.
Jean enjoyed adventurous and fulfilling years as a young woman living and working as a public health nurse in San Francisco; socializing, attending the theater, doing community theater and traveling with friends, all the while keeping a scrap book of these times.
On one fateful excursion to Yosemite National Park in the summer of 1955, a mutual friend introduced Jean to Paul Bruce, who would become her husband for over 40 years. They were married February 5, 1956 in Rapid City Iowa, where Paul was in graduate school, and had her first son by the end of the year.
In 1957 they moved to San Diego California where Paul became a professor at San Diego State University. Jean devoted herself to being a full time mother, raising 3 boys, James Gilbert, Carl David, and Donald Alan. During this time, Jean and family would travel much of the US during spring and summer breaks, as well as host international college students in their home. Jean and Paul became members of the First Unitarian/Universalists Church of San Diego, remaining so all their lives.
As her sons began to leave home, Jean took up nursing again, becoming a Nurse Practitioner for the San Diego Public School District. Also during this time, Jean received her Masters Degree in Councilor Education from SDSU.
Jean and Paul became influential members, elders if you will, of both the SDSU faculty community and the First UU Church community. They would host celebrations in their home of all sorts related to these communities. This included a regular square dancing group, a couples enrichment group and many New Years celebrations. Jean contributed to helping house minority citizens in San Diego. She supported the First UU’s educational programing with difficult subjects including couples enrichment and sex education for UU Youth.
Jean survived a stroke in 1999, two years after the loss of Paul to cancer. This greatly reduced her actives in the community, but she continually pushed to recover with that never-give-up attitude of hers. In 2006 Jean moved to Oakland, CA to be with her son’s Carl and Jim, and their families. She passed away November 10, 2016, one month before her 89th birthday. She is survived by her 3 sons and one grandchild, Gabriel Paul, and her elder sister.
Please join the Bruce Family for the Memorial Service to be held at:
First Unitarian Church
4190 Front St, San Diego, CA 92103
January 21, 2017 – 2:00 p.m.
email; [email protected] with questions.
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