Obituary of Bruce W. Reeves

Bruce W. Reeves passed away April 6, 2015 in Olympia, WA at age 96. Bruce was a remarkable man. He was well known in the state as an activist for seniors and equal justice. Bruce was a member of the board of the Washington State Senior Citizens’ Lobby, and was the president for 10 years. He was still actively reviewing bills and listening to hearings this winter. In 2003, the Washington State Supreme Court appointed Bruce as the first non-attorney to a three-year term on the nine member State Access to Justice Board and in 2006 he was reappointed to another three-year term. Bruce was also appointed as a Washington State delegate to the 2005 White House Conference on aging which is held every 10 years. Bruce was a committed Democrat and in 1960 was elected to be the Thurston County State Committeeman and was the Precinct Committee Officer for Cooper Point Precinct for 31 years. Bruce founded the Champagne Brunch for the Thurston County Democrats that has been a continuous fund raising event for over 40 years (well before champagne was served in the morning) and taught lots of people how to cook salmon at the annual State Democratic Party’s Crab Feed. Other organizations where he was a member include the Washington State School Retirees’ Association, Puget Sound Advocates for Retirement Action, the ACLU, and the Democratic Party. He was on the Thurston County Board of Equalization for 20 years, and served on the board of the Washington State Employees Credit Union, acting as president one year. Among his awards are the 1983 Democrat of Year from the Thurston County Democrats; 1997 Washington State Bar Association President’s Award; 1999 Distinguished Alumnus Award from the University of La Verne; 2001 Magnuson Lifetime Achievement Award from the Washington State Democratic Party and the 2007 Distinguished Leader Award by the Thurston County Chamber of Commerce. Bruce was born in 1918 in Sunnyside, Washington. He grew up as a farm boy from the Yakima Valley, as he liked to say, and his family struggled to make ends meet. He knew all the crops grown around there because he had worked on the harvests. He had five brothers and a sister and they were a close family, often visiting for the annual 4th of July reunions he organized. Bruce was raised as a Brethren and his religion was a big influence on his early life. He graduated with a BA in Education from the University of La Verne (then a Brethren college), worked on projects to improve infrastructure in small communities in Mexico with the Brethren church, and made the momentous decision to be a conscientious objector during WWII. He served in a work camp in Waldport, Oregon and finished his service in a tiny, remote village called Castañer in Puerto Rico. While in Puerto Rico, he met his wife, Margie, who was also doing work in that community with her church (Methodist). They married six weeks later in 1946 on a hilltop at sunrise in Castañer. Bruce was later profiled in the book, Here on the Edge: How a small group of World War II conscientious objectors took art and peace from the margins to the mainstream. Although not an artist himself, his photographs and words provided important documentation for the peace movement. You can read more about his experience here http://www.ccrh.org/oral/co.pdf beginning on p. 201. Bruce studied at Washington State University and received a BA in Education from the University of La Verne, La Verne, CA. Later he did graduate work in education and administration at the University of Washington. (He couldn’t pay the fee to publish his master’s thesis, so he did not write one.) Bruce taught in Seattle’s Shoreline District for six years, and was Administrative Assistant to Bert Cole in the state’s first Department of Natural Resources for 24 years. He was forced to retire early when Cole lost the election in the Reagan landslide in 1980: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_presidential_election,_1980 He loved barbershop quartets, and sang with his brothers at family reunions. He listened to opera and jazz and enjoyed the theatre. He loved to garden and grew beautiful fuchsia and begonias. Cooking was a central activity for him and the food he prepared was delicious. Bruce and Margie developed lots of traditions for their family including 4th of July family reunions at their home on the bay, and gatherings on all major holidays and birthdays. Bruce had a large extended family, and he was a mentor to many. Because their home was in such a beautiful setting on Budd Bay, Bruce and Margie hosted weddings for their grandchildren, the annual picnic for the Washington State Employees Credit Union, and gatherings for various political candidates they supported. Bruce was a thoughtful listener, clear thinker, and great speaker, so he excelled at his work and in his activism. His warm heart, love of family, and sense of humor endeared him to all. He is survived by his son, Herb Reeves of Olympia; daughters, Susan Fiksdal of Olympia, Kaki Reeves of Seattle and Doris Reeves of Seattle; nine grandchildren; and 11 great grandchildren. He was predeceased by his wife Margie (2013). Memorial donations may be made to the Washington State Senior Citizen’s Lobby http://www.waseniorlobby.org/ or ACLU https://www.aclu.org/. Please leave memories of Bruce or condolences for his family in the Guestbook below.