March 2, 1954- March 11, 2023
Bruce C. Evans, 69, of Roca, died March 11, 2023. Born March 2, 1954, to Howard and AnnaMarie Evans, Bruce grew up in Mannington, NJ along with his two sisters Linda (Evans) Brown and Lisa (Evans) Cleveland for whom he very much cared.
After graduating from Woodstown High School in 1972, Bruce joined the United States Air Force, served four years, and was honorably discharged as a Sergeant. He then earned an Associate of Science degree from Northwestern Junior College in Powell WY and obtained his Bachelor’s of Science degree from Montana State University in Bozeman MT.
After graduation, Bruce held a variety of agricultural and soils-related jobs and even worked on a Christmas tree farm. He also took care of his grandmother in New Jersey for a short while. He subsequently accepted a position for Nebraska Soils Survey in Cherry County NE and then collected field data for a professor at the University of Nebraska – Lincoln (UNL). It was while attending a UNL Women’s basketball game that Bruce met the love of his life: Kelli Hahn. In 1987, while dating Kelli, Bruce accepted a Soil Scientist position with the Natural Resource Conservation Service (NRCS) in Montana. He enjoyed working on the team that completed the original Soil Survey for Toole County MT. On July 1 1989, he and Kelli (who also worked for NRCS) were married and they lived in Shelby MT until the Soil Survey was completed. They then moved to Havre MT where Bruce worked with other Soil Scientists on the Hill County Soil Survey.
Desiring to be closer to family, Bruce and Kelli transferred to Hiawatha KS where he continued as an NRCS Soil Scientist. In 1992, they relocated to Lawrence KS where they subsequently had two beautiful daughters, Samantha and Skylar. Bruce worked full-time while also obtaining a Masters of Arts degree in Geography from Kansas University. He was promoted to Project Leader of the Major Land Resource Areas (MLRA) covering part of eastern Kansas and Nebraska. After living in Lawrence KS for 16 years, the family transferred to Lincoln NE where Bruce continued as the MLRA Project Leader until he retired, in 2019, after 32 years with NRCS. Bruce thoroughly enjoyed outdoor activities such as gardening, bicycling, and fishing. He is survived by his wife Kelli, daughters Sam and Skylar, sisters Linda and Lisa, nieces & nephews, as well as his beloved canine companion Papi.
Memorial Service: 11 a.m. March 18, at St. Andrews Lutheran Church, Lincoln. Visitation: 5-8 p.m. March 17, at Wyuka Funeral Home, Lincoln. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be directed to the family for further designation.
It is with great sadness that I would like to express my deepest sympathy for the passing of my Cousin, Bruce Evans. I have so many fun memories of Lisa, Linda and Bruce in our younger years, I respected Bruce so much for his decision to do what he wanted, to move west and pursue the career that he had chosen. To his family, his wife, Kelli and children, Sam and Skylar, I send my prayers in the hopes they bring some comfort in their time of great loss. I express the same his sisters Linda and Lisa. With love, Bonnie
Carol and I are so sad to hear the news of Bruce’s passing. As cousins we grew up together at our grandparent’s farm, the center of family life. Bruce would often recall being on the farm with great affection for the hard working immigrants who sold eggs and grew tomatoes. The farm was a world of many wonders to Bruce and myself; tractors, grain bins, chicken coops, and of course the vegetable garden. His passion for his career may have sprung from sharing the pride we all had at the old farm.
I can’t imagine the grief felt by all who lost a good man too soon.
Comments from his Woodstown High School Classmates:
-Sorry to read this. I knew Bruce well. He spent a lot of time at my house and hanging with the guys in the neighborhood. RIP Bruce. from Bruce Robinson
-Tommy “Boogalew” Lewis, “Bruno”, and I spent a lot of time together, slot car racing in Bruno’s attic. Bruno gave Tommy that nick name, a perfect fit. I miss them both. from Brian DeMaris
-I was friends with Bruce in High School. We spent time together as paper boys, making model airplanes , listening to Chicago and Black Sabbath, and just hanging out. Later we were on the track team together as distance runners, but neither of us were very good. We both went into the service after graduation and we lost track of each other. I later visited him and his family in Lawrence, Kansas.
He was a good guy – rest in peace my friend. from Bob Fritz
Kelli, my condolences to you and your family. I always enjoyed working with Bruce. He made work a lot funner and had a great personality. Thoughts and prayers are with Bruce.
I’m so sorry to hear about Bruce! I’ll never forget skiing with him and and his family! Such a great time! He also had us at his house in Kansas on our move to Colorado. It was a highlight of our trip! He was a great cousin! Hoping for the best for Kelli and the girls!
I am very sad to hear of Bruce’s passing. I had not seen him in many years. I believe the last time we saw each other was at our grandparent’s farm in Bridgeton. He was managing the Christmas Tree farm at the time. But I also remember getting together with all my cousins a few times a year when we were young. My condolences to his family.
I was very surprised at Bruce’s passing. I am very sorry. Bruce helped me with the Brown County Soil Survey out of Ainsworth, Nebraska in 1984-85. I also worked with Bruce doing contract work at the MLRA Soil Survey Office in Lincoln, Nebraska in 2013-14. I attended Sam and Skylar’s high school graduation receptions. Bruce was always enjoyable to work with and was a good friend.
Kelli, Sam, and Skylar – I am praying for you.
Roger Hammer, Retired Soil Scientist
Bruce was the most loyal friend. We became friends at Woodstown High School about 57 years ago. He lived 1,500 miles away but he would always call to check on me and always wanted to know what was going on in his hometown of Woodstown, NJ. Bruce was as kind and easy going as they come. He didn’t have a mean bone in his body and he would forgive anyone that ever caused him harm. All of my family members remember him as the nicest person who always had a smile on his face. I will miss Bruce tremendously because he was a best friend to me and such a gentle soul. I’m fortunate to have been one of Bruce’s friends for life!
Very sorry to learn of Bruce’s passing. He was a good guy in the truest sense. I worked with him many years ago at the university and had a good visit with him tbe last time I was in Lincoln. My condolences to his family.
I, like BFritz and Bruce, was one of those aspiring distance runners at WHS that just wasn’t very good (we were always trying to keep up with Randy & Steve Downing…and failing). That said, I’ll echo what Randy said about Bruce: kind, easy-going, forgiving, a gentle soul. As will always be the case when you get a bunch of young guys together, good-natured ribbing happened, and (like the rest of us) Bruce was the recipient of his share. Especially on the roundball court. Especially following one of his patented Bruno-drives to the hoop. But he invariably took it in stride, with a smile, in the spirit in which intended. I had a lot of respect for the guy.
Other than as members of the track team, he and I didn’t hang out a lot, but did so just kind of randomly from time to time—and I enjoyed those encounters. One of the last times in the NE USA was shortly out of high school when he, Paul Koewing & I went to Concert 10 at the Pocono International Raceway, a mini-Woodstock kind of affair with quite a few groups performing (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Concert_10). Due to intermittently nasty weather, what was supposed to be a 1-day event stretched into an all-day & all-night series of performances. (Emerson, Lake & Palmer came on at like 4:00 am!). Good times for all involved. Ultimately Bruce and I reconnected much later, briefly, when both of us ended up in KS in the ’90s, he in Lawrence and me in Manhattan. Last time I saw him was when I stopped in to visit while traveling from Kansas City back to Manhattan. It was just a shoot-the-breeze visit for a couple hours kind of deal—I think we probably cracked open a beer or two along the way and just ‘got caught up.’ Bruce was married by then, settling into the family man routine. He seemed well contented with life…I was happy to see it. And am sorry to see him gone so soon. May he rest in peace!