Bruce Roy Ketcher

Bruce Roy Ketcher passed away on Thursday, December 19, 2024, at River Bluff Nursing Home in Rockford, IL, at the age of 77 years. 

Bruce was born on June 30, 1947, to Roy and Verna (Schwalbe) Ketcher in Watertown, MN. He was baptized on July 27, 1947, at St. Peter’s Ev. Lutheran, Watertown, MN, and confirmed on April 30, 1961, at Redeemer Ev. Lutheran Church in Wayzata, MN. 

He grew up in rural Maple Plain, MN, and graduated from Orono High School in 1965, then attended Concordia College in St. Paul, MN. In 1969, Bruce joined the United States Air Force and was stationed at Hickam Joint Air Base in Honolulu, HI. After his discharge in 1972 he took a job as a teacher at a Lutheran parochial school in Fort Dodge, IA. Bruce returned to school to work on his master's degree at Hamlin University in St Paul.

His natural gift for talking to people led him to success in the restaurant industry, first managing his in-laws truck stop in Northfield, MN, and several other restaurants around the Twin Cities area.

He returned to teaching in 1982 at a parochial school in Cedar Mills, MN. He overcame debilitating multiple sclerosis, letting his enthusiasm for life shine as an inspiration for those who knew him. Bruce loved to teach but he loved to learn even more. He continued his academic pursuits getting licensed as a principal and then working on his master’s degree and PhD in education at Purdue University and governors State University in Illinois where he taught until his retirement.

But maybe his greatest contribution was how he instilled a deep love for music in his children. He sang tenor and played the trombone his whole life and loved to listen to his favorite recordings including classical, jazz, rock and spiritual - especially if it featured trombones.

Increasing intensity of his illnesses made his later years difficult and he lived the last eight years in full-time care facilities.

Bruce is survived by his brother, Roger (Lorelie) Ketcher, and son, Shane; children, Chad (Loriann) Ketcher, Scott (Amy) Ketcher, Bethany (Michael) Goers, Amanda (Aaron) Vergin, Emily (Jim) Ponziano, and Allyson (Drew) Thomas; grandchildren, Matthew, Jonathan, Nathaniel, and Brighton Ketcher, Everleigh, Foster, and Briggs Ketcher, Eden, Braden, Asher, and Nolan Goers, Evangeline, Naomi, Selah, Isaiah, and Gabriella Vergin, Eloise, Jonathan, and Jacob Ponziano, and Alexander and Charlie Thomas; and many other families and friends.

A special thank you to the staff of River Bluff nursing home and Northern Illinois Hospice for their loving care of Bruce. A memorial will be planned for the summer of 2025.