Bruce E. Verhulst

Bruce E. Verhulst, age 47 of Reeder, passed away on Thursday, May, 23, 2013 at St. Mary's Hospital in Rochester, MN. The Funeral Service for Bruce will be held at 10:30am Tuesday, May 28, 2013 at Our Savior's Lutheran Church in Reeder. Pastor Stephanie Swanson will officiate and following a time of fellowship and a luncheon, burial will be in the Ralph Lutheran Cemetery. A Family and Friends Service will be held on Monday evening at 7:00pm at the Centennial Chapel of the Evanson-Jensen Funeral Home in Hettinger. Special music will be provided by Carolyn Erickson, Elizabeth Verhulst, and Angie Oase. Serving as casketbearers are Richard Sarsland, Gene Robinson, Jeff Jung, Kim Hodell, Tony Dillon, and Bob Sousa. All family and friends are considered Honorary Bearers. A Memorial has been established. BRUCE EDWARD VERHULST was born June 16, 1965 in Bowman, ND, the youngest of five children born to Ralph E. and Beatrice V. (Pederson) Verhulst. He was baptized and confirmed at Ralph Lutheran Church. He attended grade school at Ralph and attended two years of high school in Scranton and then graduated from Bowman High School in 1984. During his high school years he played football. Bruce then began working for Jim Bingaman near Prairie City on his farm and ranching operation. Bruce was united in marriage to Laura Lee. They lived in Lemmon where he worked for NoDak Farm Supply and later on began working for Wheeler Manufacturing. On July 26, 1997, Bruce was united in marriage to Linda Finchem. They continued to live in Lemmon where they were employed with Wheeler Manufacturing. In 2005, they moved to the Verhult ranch at Ralph when Bruce took a job working for GMHR cleaning and repairing railroad cars in Scranton. Bruce and Linda moved to Reeder where they have continued to live since. He began working at the Scranton Equity/ Pronto Parts operating the tire repair truck. Bruce suddenly became ill in April 2013 and was diagnosed with lung cancer on April 30, 2013. He enjoyed fishing, hunting, riding bike with his dog Cheyenne, and remodeling a 1943 international tractor given to him by his dad. He loved playing cards and gambling, especially playing pull tabs, and loved going to the casinos. Bruce was a member of Our Savior's Lutheran Church, the Reeder Volunteer Fire Department, Reeder Park Board, and volunteered for numerous activities and events in the area. Keeping him in their fondest memories are his wife, Linda, Reeder, ND; step-daughter, Shaya Finchem, Stanberry, MO; Step-granddaughters, Nikole and Allison, and step-grandson, Austin; his mother, Beatrice Verhulst, Reeder, ND; 1 brother and sister-in-law, Steve and Barbara Verhulst, Ralph, SD; 3 sisters and 2 brothers-in-law, Diane Sanford, Reeder, ND; Pam and Greg Oase, Bismarck, ND; Nancy and Scott Doe, Beulah, ND; brother-in-law, Neal Johnson and his family, Tia and Tyler, Bismarck, ND; and numerous nieces and nephews. Bruce was preceded in death by his father, Ralph Verhulst, his grandparents, Anders and Olive Pederson and Edward and Lila Verhulst and brother-in-law, Lane Johnson; and his dear pet cats, Fred and Barney. Visitation will be on Monday from 1:00 to 7:00pm at the Centennial Chapel of the Evanson-Jensen Funeral Home in Hettinger and on Tuesday one hour prior to services at the church in Reeder.