Julia M. Bruce…July 4, 1923 – October 18, 2013

     Funeral services for Holly, CO, resident Julia Bruce will be held at 2:00 p.m. Tuesday, October 22, 2013 at Valley Memorial Funeral Chapel in Holly, CO.  Pastor Dale Fuhrmeister will officiate the service and burial will follow at the Garber Cemetery, south of Holly.  Visitation will be held on Monday, October 21, 2013 from 1-7 p.m. at Valley Memorial Chapel in Holly.

     Julia Marie Thompson Bruce was born on July 4, 1923, South of Holly, and went to sleep in Jesus on October 18, 2013, at her home in Holly with family by her side.  Julia lived her entire life in Prowers County, Colorado.  She completed the 8th grade at Pleasant Valley School South of Holly, and completed her GED after raising most of her children.  Julia began cooking for and caring for children in other people’s homes, at the age of 14.  She also did seasonal work at the Turkey Pool in Holly.  Julia was a member of the 4-H Club and won a trip to the Colorado State Fair for a suit she made, as well as winning ribbons for canning and preserving. 

      Julia married Frank Byron Bruce on February 28, 1942.  They farmed, ranched, and raised horses South of Holly until May, 2003, when they retired and moved into Holly.   

          She was preceded in death by her husband Frank; daughter, Paulette Fay; son, Danny Ray; granddaughter, Brenda Lea Hancock; parents, Henry Earl Thompson and Aura Myrtle Surprise Thompson; infant siblings, Johnny, Harvey, Christine, Luella May, and Leiva Thompson; two brothers, James Thompson and William F. Thompson; five sisters, Geula Schnabel, Lula Cole, Minnie Eder, Mary Dell Sweetin, and Annie Cole. She was also preceded in death by three sons-in-law. 

     She is survived by one sister, Aura Bell and husband, Harold Hamilton of Greeley, CO; six children, Myrtle Mathis of Cleburne, TX, Judy Young of Pasadena, TX, Fred Bruce and wife, Pam of Holbrook, AZ, Joan Burlew of Rio Vista, TX, Diann Hancock and husband, Ed of Centralia, MO, and Darlene Bruce of Holly CO, 13 grandchildren; 21 great-grandchildren; nieces and nephews; many extended family members, and a host of friends. 

      Julia was a long-time member of the Seventh-Day Adventist Church in Lamar, CO.  She was a devoted wife and mother, a hard-working companion for her husband, and a role model and caregiver for her children, many nieces, nephews and children in the community.  There was always room at her table for anyone who stopped by.  She always remembered the favorite dish of each family member and enjoyed cooking it for them whenever they came to visit.  She won prizes on her home-baked bread, pies, and other culinary delights.   

          Julia loved the Lord and lived her religion in the way she treated family, friends and strangers.  She spent her last two weeks telling her family that they can all be together again in Heaven, if they give their heart to the Lord and live the way they know they should.  Her final words were, “Meet me; meet me.” 

          Services for Julia Bruce are under the direction of Valley Memorial Funeral Chapel in Holly. For additional information and online condolences please visit our website at www.valleymemorialfc.com