SIUSLAW NEWS | SATURDAY, AUGUST 18, 2018 | 7A
FUUF finds ‘Time
for tribe’ Sunday
On Sunday, Aug. 19, from 10
until 11 a.m., at the Florence Uni-
tarian Universalist Fellowship, Bill
Kauth and Zoe Alowan will discuss
the concept of “tribe,” i.e., groups
of men and women building long
term, committed non-residential
communities.
Kauth and Alowan’s message is
titled: “Time for the TRIBE,” which
is all about organizing bonded
tribes of people who are committed
to building intimacy and deep trust
while healing the essential feminine
and masculine.
The fellowship is located at 87738
Highway 101 at Heceta Beach Road
and is wheelchair accessible. Each
service concludes with refresh-
ments and a dialogue circle to ex-
plore the questions that come up
during each worship service.
For more information, visit www.
florenceuuf.org.
Spirituali-Tea to explore
religious law Monday
On Monday, Aug. 20, begin-
ning at 6 :30 p.m., all are invited
to join a group of people who en-
joy finding the common grounds
in diverse spiritual thoughts and
paths.
The meeting is at 875 Seventh
St. in Florence.
The topic is Religious Law.
The Writings of the Baha’i
Faith state that, “All religions
teach that we must do good, that
we must be generous, sincere,
truthful, law-abiding, and faith-
ful; all this is reasonable, and log-
ically the only way in which hu-
manity can progress. All religious
laws conform to reason, and are
suited to the people for whom
they are framed, and for the age
in which they are to be obeyed.”
The group will discuss how
religion has two main parts, the
spiritual and the practical.
The practical part of religion
deals with exterior forms and
ceremonies, and with modes of
punishment for certain offences.
This is the material side of the
law, and guides the customs and
manners of the people.
In the time of Moses, there
were 10 crimes punishable by
death. When Christ came this
was changed; the old axiom “an
eye for an eye, and a tooth for a
tooth” was converted into “Love
your enemies, do good to them
that hate you,” the stern old law
being changed into one of love,
mercy and forbearance.
In the former days the pun-
ishment for theft was the cutting
off of the right hand; in our time
this law could not be so applied.
In this age, a man who curses his
father is allowed to live, when
formerly he would have been put
to death.
“It is therefore evident that
whilst the spiritual law never
alters, the practical rules must
change their application with
the necessities of the time,” the
Writings of the Baha’i Faith state.
“The spiritual aspect of religion
is the greater, the more important
of the two, and this is the same
for all time.”
Bring thoughts on the subject
for open discussion.
The gathering will end at 8
p.m. with prayers for the requests
left in the Prayer Pole in the gar-
den of the Florence Playhouse
and those shared by the group.
For more information, contact
Suzanne at 541-590-0616.
OREGON COAST
FOR BRUCE from page 1A
Robert Spencer
Bruce was my neighbor for over
30 years. We’ll miss him a great
deal.
He had an impact on anybody
and everybody, including total
strangers. He would walk up to
a stranger on the creek, and next
thing they knew they were going
fishing with him the next week.
He’s that kind of guy.
Just look around.
This is the impact he had on ev-
erybody.
The Romeos
They call themselves the ROME-
Os, Retired Old Men Eating Out.
Once a week or so, these group of
retirees sit at the restaurant at Dar-
ling’s Resort and Marina, eating
breakfast, catching up on the week’s
goings.
Bruce had been a frequent diner
in the group, each of whom at con-
nections to him: coworker, fishing
buddy, mentor.
It was just a few days after the
announcement of his passing when
ROMEO members Vince LaRocco,
Sheldon Meyer, Karl Jennings, Gary
Knipe and Denny Sydo, reminisced
about their old friend.
Gary: I started teaching around
1975, and he was new the next
year after I started. He was a
first-grade teacher at that time. I
coached track with him. He got
along with the kids really well,
because he was a high-energy
person. He kept up with them,
ran with them. He did every-
thing they did. He was really
good that way, compassionate
and understanding.
Vince: I had a student of his tell
me that he taught dance in P.E.
He would dance with all the kids
and they just loved him. I never
knew that he had rhythm, along
with his other attributes.
Gary: He was a little counter cul-
ture, and some of the teachers
had trouble with that. But he had
a golden heart. It was like he was
bigger than life. It’s hard to be-
lieve that he’s not here.
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Karl: He was really outspoken at
times. He didn’t care whose feel-
ings he hurt, but he had a golden
heart. He had compassion for
everyone. Small in stature, but
you always had a sense that you
were talking to a bigger person.
He had a big voice.
I played softball with him on
two teams and I played volley-
ball with him. I swam with him,
I fished with him for five years.
He’s been in our football group,
and this breakfast right here.
Gary: I saw him the day before.
He had his two halibut, and I
just got there. And there wasn’t
another bite to be had that day.
Karl: His secret was persistence.
Gary: He was out there a lot.
Karl: A lot.
Gary: He fished more than any-
body I can think of in this port.
Karl: And when he wasn’t fish-
ing in the ocean, we used to
get our waders and walk up the
creek, like Ten Mile Creek, fish-
ing all the way up for steelhead.
He caught fish there too. He
showed me how to fish in those
creeks and caught a lot of fish
up there, like 32-inch steelhead.
He got around. He fished in the
river, initially, then he got an
ocean-going boat. His first boat
was only a 16-footer. We went
out way out in the ocean with
that very small boat.
Gary: Fit him just right. He’s go-
ing to be missed by everybody.
Everybody’s going to miss Bruce.
Karl: Great teacher. Mentored
hundreds of youth here.
Gary: And adults. He was teach-
ing me up until last week. I re-
tired before him, and he’s still
showing me how to tie leaders.
He never quit teaching.
Vince: Bruce had my stepson in
one of his classes years and years
ago. When my son was para-
lyzed, Bruce made a point every
time he saw me to ask him how
he was. That was after 10 years.
It demonstrates his innate care
for the kids that he taught. I
didn’t know him as well as these
guys, and we had our differences
from time to time, but I’m really
heartbroken over this.
Karl: I just feel awful for his fam-
ily, Sandra and … I’m just … I’m
sorry, I can’t.
Denny: Bruce was a good guy. He
did a lot of good things.
Vince: You could count on him.
He would be there for you if you
needed it.
Denny: He was really a good guy.
Everything you hear about Bruce
doing, it was something good.
He continually did that. I’m go-
ing to really miss him.
Shelion: I’m a latecomer into this
group, but I loved and adored
him. Like the rest of these guys,
I’ll miss him. He leaves a big,
big hole in all of our lives. It just
makes no sense what happened.
Vince: As you get older, your own
mortality becomes staring at
you in the face. These kind of
I think Bruce was a man of pas-
things makes that very clear and
focused. He’s gone. And I miss sion. He loved his children and
took really great pride in them. He
him.
was just a really positive person,
and a real people person.
Netl Wartntk
I think that his love and concern
When Wartnik was still in high
school, he competed against Bruce’s for the kids rubbed off on me over
team when it was forming in the late time. I hope that I can be the kind
1970s and early 1980s. Years later, of kid advocate that Bruce was, and
he taught English Language Arts learn to fight for the children.
There have been so many influ-
at Siuslaw and worked with Bruce
before eventually coaching the high ences in my life, and he’s a very im-
school wrestling team. Wartnik talk- portant ingredient in my past. He
ed about the history of the wrestling was a good role model.
program, why it became a success
Rtch DeSantts
and how Bruce helped him become
Rich DeSantis grew up learning
a better teacher.
wrestling from Bruce. A “little guy”
Bruce was an animated, full-of- like his teacher, he was able to make
lifelong friends and win state cham-
life man.
I first met him when I was in pionships, passing down his knowl-
High School. I wrestled for Co- edge to his own sons.
quille High School and compet-
In 1980, I was in second grade
ed against the Vikings numerous
when part of our school burned
times.
Bruce and head coach Pat to the ground. The following year,
Zahner were new to the scene and they moved one third-grade class
brought great energy to Siuslaw. over to the elementary school.
It was there that I had my first
They worked as a team for 15 or 20
experience with Mr. McKibbin.
years.
He was a very energetic teacher,
They did a great job running
the middle school and high school passionate about teaching, wres-
programs. And they were really tling and children. He got us into
the ones that introduced the Little Little Toad wrestling and coached
Toads Wrestling, this program with us in mat club in middle school.
We would have joined a knitting
elementary-age students.
They knew that to build a good team if that’s what he asked us to
program, you have to begin build- do. He was infectious. He had a
ing those connections when the passion for life that was evident in
children are in elementary school. his huge smile. His laugh was even
They got the parents involved, and bigger.
He was a little guy and many of
put everything together piece by
the kids were actually bigger than
piece, link by link.
It was their good will that made him. At the end of every practice,
we ended with a weight line drill
it.
They built relationships with where all the kids lined up, small-
families, they got to know kids. est in front, biggest in back. He was
They took kids to tournaments all always up near the front.
He forced me to wrestle big guys,
over the state.
When you do that year after year, much bigger than myself.
My freshmen year, I only
for 15 years, people begin to appre-
ciate you. Any time parents can put weighed 89 pounds, much light-
their children in a program where er than the lowest weight bracket.
they have fun and are built up in And I weighed in with all my street
a positive way, you’ll get parents clothes and my duffle bag over my
behind you. That’s what happened. shoulder.
He gravitated to the little guys on
They just gained respect.
Bruce was so instrumental, and the team, made us compete harder
he was a great organizer of chil- against the big kids. He taught us,
dren. He was a bit of a pied piper, to work harder than them. The size
in some way. In no way malevo- of your body can’t compete with
lent, but the kids just followed him. the size of your heart.
He made me a champion by
They loved him.
He advocated for kids. He be- making me believe in myself. He
lieved in him. I was most impressed made us champions by making us
about the fact he brought the best believe in each other.
I heard they still had a club team,
out of children because he believed
so I showed up with my two sons.
in them.
He was also a great advocate of The coaches were two guys who
the children, especially the elemen- wrestled for Bruce.
It felt really good to get back on
tary age.
There was this one time, he saw the blue and gold mats and pass on
me interacting with children, and what he taught me. Both my sons
maybe not being very positive, are little guys compared to their
having a negative, jaded demeanor peers.
toward the kids.
My youngest only lost one match
Bruce got in my face and said in four tournaments. My older son
“You need to treat these people competed hard and won about half
with respect. They’re good people.” of his matches. He’s learning how
He’s someone who wasn’t afraid to be a little more aggressive.
to tell you, straight up, what you
I got out an old tin from the bot-
needed to know.
tom of my closet, gathered my sons
around the living room and opened
it. Inside were all the medals, in-
cluding my state title and sixth-
place medal. All my ribbons were
faded and water stained.
They thought I was a superhero.
Bruce became a teammate of
mine a few years ago when he asked
to be held at the Florence Events Center
me to be on his bowling team.
during the
I still called him Mr. McKibbin
after 35 years. I think he liked that,
Be Ready – Storm Ready
as it was nostalgic for him.
Preparedness Expo
He would talk to me about all
our wrestling adventures and he re-
August 25, 2018!
membered more than I did because
it was his everything. I would drink
Please call the Siuslaw News
and listen to him reminisce. He en-
joyed reliving the stories.
at 541-902-3526 to sign up.
As I looked around in the crowd
You may pay by credit or debit card.
at the service in Woahink, I saw
many people from school who
There are two classes being offered.
still live in the area. All of us share
a passion for life, laugh a lot, and
Positions in the class are on a fi rst paid for, fi rst
never have a bad day. It was teach-
reserved basisand classes are limited to the fi rst
ers like Mr. McKibbin, Mr. Perry
25 paying participants in each class.
and Mr. Galbraith who made us the
men of our community today.
So don’t delay, sign up for a place now!
I have experiences in my life that
shaped me. Being around guys like
Bruce played a role in that.
The class is at
It’s why you coach. You’re always
11:00 AM AND 2:00 PM
going to be a coach to some kid for
the rest of their life.
Saturday, August 25, 2018
I have faith in there being some-
Cost is only $25.00
thing better after we leave here.
When we’re gone, we leave a leg-
per participant!
acy. I have zero bad days, and I tell
my children to never be sad when
I’m gone. Think of me and all the
fun stuff — and know that I’m in a
better place.
EMERGENCY
SUTURING CLASS
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an SOS
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ly recruiting volunteers for the
front desk. These special vol-
unteers greet clients and sup-
port SOS staff. Most volunteers
cover a four-hour shift once per
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