Locada 'Katie' J. Bruce

Former Juniata resident, Locada Katie Jean Bruce, 84, passed away Wednesday, January 26, 2011 at the Kenesaw Haven Home; Kenesaw, NE. Services will be Saturday, January 29, 2011 at 10:30 AM at the Juniata Methodist Church in Juniata, NE with Rev. Dr. Lee Wigert officiating. Burial will be in the Juniata Cemetery, Juniata; NE. Visitation will be Friday, January 28, 2011 from 12 noon to 9 PM with the family present from 6 PM to 9 PM at the Brand-Wilson Funeral Home, Hastings, NE and one hour prior to service time at the church. Arrangements by the Jackson-Wilson Funeral Home, Kenesaw, NE. Condolences may be sent to the family from www.brandwilson.com. In lieu of flowers memorials may be given to the Juniata Methodist Church or the Juniata American Legion Auxiliary #365 both in Juniata, NE. The Lord brought Katie into our lives on December 11, 1926, born to Leland and Lelia (Deweese) Johnson in Tecumseh, NE. She graduated from the Tecumseh High School in Tecumseh, NE in 1944. While in high school she helped out the family by working in an ice cream shop and dime store. She also baby sat for neighbors, younger siblings and was a nurses aide in a local hospital that was owned and operated by Doc. Solomon. Katie always dreamed of being a nurse. The government offered to qualifying young women, an opportunity to join a program of Cadet Nurses. This program entitles the graduates to be commissioned as an officer of the Armed Forces. Katie was accepted into this program at the Bryan School of Nursing in Lincoln, NE and graduated in 1948. This was to be the last class of the Cadet Nurses. She made lifetime friendships with the fellow students, nurses and instructors. She was forever grateful to the school for everything they had taught her to prepare her for all the challenges that would confront her later in life. Nearing graduation from Bryan, Katie met J. Clarke Bruce who changed her life forever. Capital Beach was a common hangout for young adults and after roller skating, Katie and her friends went for a ride on the ferris wheel and was looking for a night of fun with the boys. It was here that they met and stayed together for the rest of their lives. Katie and Clarke moved to Hastings, NE for a short time and in 1949 they moved to Deadwood, SD. Katie went to work for the St. Joseph Hospital and Clarke worked in the gold mine in Lead, SD. They were married on April 21, 1949, at the Methodist Church in Deadwood, SD. Clarke was fond of working underground and after a nearby fatal accident occurred, he decided it was time to look for new work. The Fort Mead Veterans Hospital in Sturgis would hire Clarke if Katie came with him and of course she did. The government had turned Fort Meade and old Calvary post into a veterans hospital specializing in caring for veterans emotionally traumatized from the war. Her responsibilities included supervising patients, surgery, lobotomies, applying knowledge learned at Bryan and learning new procedures used at Fort Mead. Katie was affected most by caring for patients that had been held captive by the Japanese and were hung in baskets from trees. Their first child Jay was born in Deadwood, SD on January 13, 1950; it was 36 below zero the night he was born. In the late 1950 Katie and Clarke moved to Grand Island, NE and transferred to the new Veterans Hospital. In 1951 they moved to Juniata where Clarke went to work for the City of Hastings. Katie soon followed and started a job with the Hastings Regional Center and worked there for 21 years. She supervised the medical surgical building and developed curriculum and practical experiences, teaching and testing for Nurses Aides I and II and janitorial workers. Katie was also involved in the training of patients to work in the greenhouse, restaurant, laundry, food service and floral design programs where they would hopefully get a job in these fields in the community. Katie especially liked to care for the older women whom needed special attention. She also supervised these programs in the vocational field. In 1965 Katie became the Rehabilitation Director and held this position for 8 years. During this busy time Katie gave birth to her second and third children, Mike on September 10, 1953 and Lori on August 21, 1956. In 1996 Katie graduated from Hastings College with a Bachelors of Arts degree and later completed 25 hours towards her Masters Degree. For many years she was active in the community, church, teaching childrens Sunday school and helping various school organizations. In 1972 she received a call from Central Community College to help set up a Human Services Program. She accepted the offer and developed twelve courses at CCC. She choose the text, wrote courses, outlines and tests. Teaching these classes to young students was an experience she really enjoyed. She received many awards from the Nebraska Department of Education. Like the Veterans Hospital and Regional Center she made lasting friendships with co-workers and loved when students would come back and visit. Katie was a member of many professional organizations in the nursing and educational fields. Katie retired from CCC in 1992 and spent the rest of her time caring for her husband, children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren. She loved to care for the elderly in the community and helped with the church quilting groups. Katie was a member of the Juniata Methodist Church in Juniata, NE and taught Sunday school for years. She was a member of the National Honorary Society, the American Nursing Assn, the Nebraska Nurses Assn and the American Legion Auxiliary #346 in Juniata, NE. She is survived by her husband J. Clarke Bruce of Juniata, NE, one son Michael Bruce of Juniata, NE and one daughter, Lori and family of Lincoln, NE, 9 grandchildren, 16 great grandchildren, and one brother, Raymond Johnson of Wahoo, NE. The Lord called her home to join her beloved parents, and son, Jay Bruce, and brothers, Vern and Darrell Johnson. Her kindness and gentle soul touched all who met her. She gave us a lifetime of love and happiness.