Bruce Thuney Sr. Dies; He Loved To Fix Things

Bruce Thuney Sr. left the Midwest in 1953 for a job that started at $1 an hour.

He moved with his wife and four children to the Northwest, where a promising job driving a truck for Consolidated Freightways in Des Moines awaited. He stayed there 28 years.

The money eventually got considerably better for Mr. Thuney, who was active in the Teamsters union. And he always was able to save on home, auto and other repairs because of his penchant for tinkering with anything that needed fixing.

Bruce Thuney Sr. died of heart failure Thursday (July 10). He was 78.

The road gave him plenty of stories to tell, like the time he climbed into his truck at a service station and found a moose staring over the hood. His travels also led him to some favorite camping and fishing spots in Washington, Oregon, Alaska and British Columbia.

Despite the sometimes treacherous weather conditions he drove in, Mr. Thuney received a "Million Miler Safe Driver" award for having no accidents, and drove far more miles than that.

When he wasn't on the road, Mr. Thuney enjoyed nothing better than fixing things.

"He could fix anything," said his son John Thuney of Des Moines. "His greatest enjoyment came from taking something that was broken and fixing it. Heck, I'll admit I used to deliberately screw stuff up to see if he could fix it."

That practical know-how was put to use in 1958, when he built his home in Des Moines. He did it with help from wife Irma, relatives, and his young children, who pounded nails and ran errands.

He was born in Minnesota, and received a fourth-grade education before going to work in a lumber mill to help support his family. After returning to Minnesota from Army duty in World War II, he moved between various low-paying trucking jobs.

"He always kept food on the table, and clothes on our backs," John Thuney said. "We were never hungry. He always put the family ahead of himself."

Mr. Thuney is also survived by sons Teddy of Ravensdale and Bruce Jr. of Kent; daughter Renee Prettera of Kent; 11 grandchildren; and 10 great-grandchildren.

Remembrances may be sent to Children's Hospital & Medical Center Foundation, P.O. Box 5371, Seattle, WA, 98105. Services have been held.