Bruce Gill Secrest, 80, Houston, Texas
Obituaries · July 13, 2017
Bruce Gill Secrest, age 80, formerly of West Branch, died on June 24, 2017, at Parkway Place skilled nursing facility, in Houston, Texas.
A visitation is scheduled at Henderson-Barker Funeral Home in West Branch, on Friday, July 21, from 4-7 p.m. A memorial service will be held at West Branch United Methodist Church on Saturday, July 22, at 10 a.m. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to RSVP (Rehabilitation Services Volunteer Project), P.O. Box 31070, Houston, TX 77231.
Bruce was born July 20, 1936, in Iowa City, Iowa, to Lois Esther Gill Secrest and Virgil Howard Secrest. He grew up in West Branch, Iowa, graduating from West Branch High School in 1954.
Bruce attended Iowa State University and was a member of Alpha Tau Omega fraternity. He graduated in 1958 with a bachelor’s degree in Aeronautical Engineering and he worked for a year at McDonald-Douglas in Santa Monica, Calif. Bruce returned to Iowa State University for graduate school in 1960, earning master’s and doctoral degrees in mathematics, working as a full-time instructor in the Math department during his final year. Bruce was inducted into several honor societies, including Tau Beta Pi, Phi Kappa Phi, and Phi Eta Sigma. Bruce taught mathematics at the University of Nebraska from 1964-1966. After two years in academia, Bruce was hired to work at Texas Instruments in Dallas, Texas. During his time at Texas Instruments, Bruce worked in Mathematical Services, in the Corporate Research Center, and eventually in the Seismic Research Group. Bruce became interested in geophysical research during his later years at Texas Instruments. He was hired by Sohio, (later bought by British Petroleum), as a geophysicist, working in Dallas and Houston, eventually retiring in 1999.
He married Patricia G. Hegel in December 1964 in Lincoln, Neb., and they celebrated their 52nd wedding anniversary last year. Bruce and his family enjoyed traveling extensively within the United States and Europe. Prior to his retirement from British Petroleum, Bruce and Pat lived in Trondheim, Norway, for three years while Bruce worked on a joint project between BP and Statoil.
Bruce was an avid runner for many years, and continued to work out at the gym several days a week, as his health permitted, even after his 80th birthday. He was talented at woodworking, producing several beautiful pieces of furniture. Bruce also enjoyed attending the symphony, listening to classical music, reading, and researching the stock market. He loved spending time with his family and maintained lifelong friendships with people he met at various times in his life. He will be remembered for his beautiful blue eyes, warm and engaging smile, and gentle and kind nature.
Bruce is survived by his wife, Pat, and their beloved daughter, Laura, of Houston, Texas; his sister and brother-in-law, Maryann and Clarence Crew, of West Branch, Iowa; as well as many nieces and nephews.
He was preceded in death by his brother and sister-in-law, Don and Carol Secrest, and his parents, Lois and Virgil Secrest.
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