Obituary of Josiah Bruce Kent

KENT: Josiah Bruce passed away October 14, 2012, at the age of 94. Born at Unity, Saskatchewan, the oldest of three brothers. At the age of 12, the family moved to a farm in the Wawanesa area where he attended the Cheasley School. After the death of their mother in 1936, the family moved to an acreage in the Glen Souris District. It is from there they ventured into business, from delivering firewood to Brandon residences, hauling grain to elevators, gravelling roads, to road construction both in Manitoba and Saskatchewan, and finally to paving, the company known as Zenith Paving. Around this time, Bruce became a founding member of the Wheat City Concrete Company. From an early age Bruce enjoyed sports from hockey on outdoor rinks in the winter, baseball in the summer and later as a Wheat King fan. When the threat came of moving the Wheat King Hockey team out of the city, Bruce, along with other businessmen, were able to keep it in the city. One of the unforgettable hockey experiences was attending the Canada-Russia game in 1972. Trap shooting became another interest and due to his competitive nature he was soon competing both in Canada and the United States. He had the honor of being the first Canadian to be president of the American Trap shooting Association. When health became an issue in 2002, a move to River Heights Terrace gave him many enjoyable years. Bruce was pre-deceased by his son Scott and brother Lloyd. He is survived by his wife Ruth, daughter Carole (Lonny), and brother Allen (Irene), granddaughters Ashley and Dara, nephews Bob, Gary and Bryon and their families. A memorial service will be held at Brockie Donovan Chapel, 332-8th Street, on Saturday, October 20, 2012 (today) at 2:00 p.m. with Rev. David Wilson of St. Andrews Presbyterian Church officiating. Memorial donations in lieu of flowers may be made to BRHC Foundation, "Western Manitoba Cancer Centre", 150 McTavish Avenue East, Brandon, MB, R7A 2B3 or charity of choice.