Bruce R Lovell passed away peacefully, Friday, December 27, 2013, at 8:11 am at the Delta Hospital, in Delta, Utah. He was 86 years old. Bruce was born July 17, 1927, in Oak City, Utah, to Reed and Zella Lovell. He attended Oak City Elementary and graduated from Delta High School in 1945. In high school, he served as the Senior Class Vice-President, and played on the DHS basketball team that took the State Championship in 1945. He earned an All-State Honorable Mention. He was drafted into the U.S. Army in 1945, and served in Korea at the end of World War II until 1947.
On November 14, 1947, Bruce married LouJean Johnson of Holden in the Manti Temple. Two months later he was called to the Texas-Louisiana Mission where he served from Jan. 1948 to Jan. 1950. Married men could serve a mission without their wives in those days.
Bruce and LouJean had four children: Debra Lee, Karen, Leslie Bruce and William Austin. LouJean passed away February 7, 1959.
On November 11, 1961, Bruce married Veniece LaVonne Vent of Santa Barbara, California, in the Manti Temple. They have celebrated 52 years of marriage.
Employment for Bruce included 19 years at Roper Lumber which later became Church Lumber; and in 1969 he began 23 years at Brush Wellman, retiring as a Foreman in 1992.
Bruce and Veniece served two missions to the Argentina Bahia Blanca Mission, (1993-1995 and 1997-1999). They have a great love for the Argentine people and enjoyed their missions very much.
Bruce has a strong testimony of the Gospel of Jesus Christ and has served in many positions in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, including Bishop of the Oak City Ward for 5 years (1976-1981) before it was divided into two wards, High Councilman in the Delta, Utah Stake (1967-1976), Counselor to two Bishops, YMMIA President, Stake Sports Director, High Priests Group Leader, Stake Missionary, and his latest service was indexing over 140,000 names in the LDS Indexing program.
He enjoyed politics and served as an Oak City Town Board Councilman, and three Terms as Oak City Mayor. During his tenures, the sidewalks and telephone system were installed. He served as a Millard County Commissioner from 1967-1971, during which he was instrumental in the paving of the McCornick Road.
Bruce loved sports of all kinds and was an avid BYU football and basketball fan. Annual season tickets to the BYU football games were enjoyed with his wife, until this year, when Bruce’s health kept them at home watching the games on TV. Bruce’s recent hobbies were coin collecting and Indexing. When he was younger, he was very active in sports. He was a great catcher in baseball, and won many trophies and tournaments in bowling, horseshoes and Rook. He and Veniece loved to play cards with their grandchildren – these were some of their closest, most enjoyable moments with them. Deer hunting was another of Bruce’s loves – being together with his sons, grandsons and relatives in the Oak City mountains and retelling the stories after.
In 2003, Bruce and Veniece moved to Provo, where Veniece returned to BYU and obtained her B.A. degree in 2007. Bruce was very supportive of her efforts and they made many wonderful friendships there. They returned to live in Oak City on November 15, 2013. Nowhere would ever be “home” to Bruce except Oak City.
Bruce is survived by his wife: Veniece; three children: Debra Lee Lopez (Juan), Leslie Bruce Lovell (Lynette) both of Oak City, and William Austin Lovell (Julie) of Sutherland. They have 12 grandchildren and 29 great-grandchildren who are the treasures of his life. He was preceded in death by his first wife: LouJean; his parents; two brothers: Neil and Dan; and a daughter: Karen Lovell Finlinson (Cordell).
Funeral services will be held Tuesday, December 31, 2013, at 1:00 pm in the Oak City LDS Chapel, 35 East Center, Oak City. A viewing will precede the funeral from 11:30-12:40 am at the chapel. Friends may also call Monday, December 30, at Nickle Mortuary in Delta from 6:30-8:00 pm. Interment will be in the Oak City Cemetery.