Bruce McKeighan

1924 - 2017

June 18, 1924 - June 4, 2017 Bruce passed away at home in Escondido. He was born on a farm in Iowa to Pete and Elsie McKeighan. In 1943, he moved to Los Angeles with his parents, siblings and young sweetheart Avis Mohan. He was was employed by Bill Daum in the excavation business. Within a year, they formed D and M Grading Company. Bruce was ambitious and intelligent and was soon developing large grading projects throughout L.A., including the Convention Center, Atlantic Richfield Building and the Broadway Plaza. His father Pete and brother Hugh worked with him. Bruce loved sports of all kinds including golf and fishing. He shot skeet with Gable, Cooper and Robert Stack at the facility in Bakersfield. He himself was Irish movie star handsome with a full head of auburn wavy hair and deep blue eyes. His marriage to Avis Mohan blessed them with daughter Becky Jo. She and husband Mike Owsley are parents to Sean, Kevin, Adam, Carrie, Joshua, Trevor, Shannon and Patrick. Bruce and second wife Natalie Rathbun were parents to daughters Lori and Joni. Lori and Scott McKenna are the parents of Tara, Cooper, Maggie, Dylan and Kate. Joni and Max Shiels are the parents of Madeline and Natalie. Bruce owned a fly-in ranch in Pistol Creek, Idaho, where the family enjoyed, fly fishing, hunting and horseback riding. He married his third wife Nancy Kasee there. Bruce's huge family includes brother Hugh (deceased) and his children Rose, Paul and Sandra, sister Beverly Knight LeVato's children Steve and Mary, brother Mike and his wife Jan's children Mark and Keely, sister Margaret Ann (deceased) and daughter Nancy. Bruce had a full and happy life. You could find him enjoying gardening, spending time with loved ones and special dogs. He always said the only thing he missed was owning his very own jet airplane! He flew his own planes on numerous cross country adventures. He had a tremendous joie de vivre and leaves us with that same joy of knowing and loving him. The family owes much gratitude to Mike Owsley, Bruce's caregiver for the last year of his life. Services are pending.