OBITUARY FROM REES FUNERAL HOME WEBSITE:
Bruce Earl Wilkinson, age 80 of Hobart passed away Saturday, November 23, 2024. He was born November 10, 1944. He was the only child of Ernest Earl Wilkinson and Dorothy June Wilcox Wilkinson.
Bruce graduated from Hobart High School class of 1963. After graduation he started working at Sears until 1968 when he joined the Hobart Fire Department. During his career at HFD he held various ranks including chief from 1988-1992, and retired as a Lieutenant in April of 1996 after 28 years of service. He then worked as Park Superintendent for Hobart Township for 24 years. During his time at the Township he became involved with the Marine Corps. Toys for Tots toy drive. For 12 years he worked countless hours collecting and distributing toys in northern Lake County. This is something he looked forward to every year.
If you knew Bruce you knew his family because he was a loving, proud and devoted husband, father and grandpa. He married the love of his life Ruth Ann Ritter Wilkinson on October 10, 1970. They had a wonderful life celebrating 54 years together. They had two daughters Wendy Wilkinson(Jason) and Kari (Tim) McCabe. He always said he was a lucky man to have three women in his life to love! Bruce is also survived by brother-in-laws, Edward Ritter, Mike (Gail) Ritter, and sister-in-law Mary "LouLou" (Bob) Schmidt, cousin, Charles Dudley, and numerous nieces and nephews.
Bruce continued to be blessed with family with the birth of his first grandson Bryan "Austin" Elliott. After having daughters he thoroughly enjoyed having the opportunity to do "guy things" with Austin. They enjoyed fishing, going to the shooting range, listening to music, or having a cold beverage together on a nice day. His blessings continued with two granddaughters Jillian and Alyssa Wilkinson. From day one Jillian had grandpa wrapped around her little finger! He enjoyed driving her to school, taking her out to eat, watching football with her and attending her sporting events. He especially loved seeing her excel on the volleyball court. He was her biggest cheerleader and always encouraged her to follow her dreams. He and Alyssa liked to play board games, ride the golf cart and when she was younger she would talk him into letting her practice her cosmetology skills on him. Alyssa kept him on his toes from day one! Three grandkids were a blessing but he was fortunate to double his blessings with the addition of Brian, Abi and Emma McCabe. He loved the holidays and six grandkids made them that much better!
His favorite holiday was the 4th of July. For over 30 years he would put on a firework show that rivaled any city's show. He would spend countless hours shopping and setting up for it and every year the firework display got bigger and bigger! It was enjoyed by many throughout the years. Christmas was also a holiday filled with traditions that he loved. From the candle light service at church, to a huge family party with a sing-a-long, tons of food and a lot of Christmas cheer, he enjoyed it all! It didn't have to be a holiday though for him to find a reason to get together with friends and family. He loved going to wineries or out for a good meal anytime. If he did take time for himself it was to go fishing. He absolutely loved a good day on his Bass Boat trying to catch the big one!
Bruce never knew a stranger and would always lend a helping hand. He was a very active member of Augustana Lutheran Church where he served on the property committee and church council. Bruce loved his church and church family and volunteered wherever he could. He also had a love and respect for our country and military. He always went out of his way to thank a Veteran. The world is a better place because of the footprint he has left.
In lieu of flowers memorial donations in Bruce’s honor may be made to the Augustana Lutheran Church Food Pantry.
Cremation will take place with Rees Funeral Home and Cremation Service, Hobart. A memorial service will be held on Saturday, November 30, 2024 at 11:30 a.m. at Augustana Lutheran Church, 207 Kelly St., Hobart with Rev. Scott Mauch and Chaplain Chris Williams officiating. Memorial visitation is Saturday just prior to the service from 10 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. at Augustana Lutheran.
This information and the picture below were obtained from: https://www.reesfuneralhomes.com/obituary/bruce-wilkinson. The picture above was obtained from the 1963 HHS Memories yearbook, made available by the Lake County Public Library, at: https://archive.org/details/HOHS1963Images/.
