Bruce Nielsen

Bruce died peacefully in his sleep on June 7, 2010. Bruce was a beloved father and husband and loved his family and friends. Bruce was a lifelong resident of Racine, born February 18, 1948 to Irene G. Nielsen (nee; Chapas) and Clayton H. Nielsen. Bruce attended Racine schools and graduated from Horlick in 1966. He was involved in various sports and is said to have had 'one mean knuckleball' on Horlick's baseball team. He went on to attend the University of Wisconsin-Madison where he received degrees in Structural Engineering and Construction Management. He then joined the family business, Nielsen Iron Works, following college. In 1983, Bruce, his two brothers (Jim and Dale Nielsen), and partner Tom Johnson formed Nielsen Building Systems, Inc. and was the company's President and Engineer. The company has built a number of local buildings, including a portion of Miller Park. Bruce was a former president of the Racine Jaycees and was involved in local construction related organizations. He was an avid gardener, spending many hours in his gardens at home and work; always choosing to eat his fresh garden vegetables over kringle and sweets. He enjoyed softball, bowling, and volleyball. He kept active during the long Wisconsin winters by playing tennis at the Racine Tennis Club. Bruce was a friendly, talkative man who loved randomly running into old friends and stopping to catch up at various summer festivals. He loved to make Sunday lunches on the grill by the pool. A dog lover, Bruce treated his pets as part of the family and whenever possible had them at his side. They would accompany him on job site visits and he would bring them to the office like firehouse dogs each day after 4:00pm. Bruce was looking forward to the July wedding of his son Scott to Kathryn Anderson of Chicago whom he embraced into the family. Bruce is survived by his wife of 34 years Sandi, daughter Jennifer of Madison and son Scott of Chicago. Further survived by his father Clayton; two brothers, Jim and Dale(Beth) Nielsen; mother-in-law Edna Ridley; brothers and sister-in-law John Ridley of North Dakota and Diane(Randy) Striegel of Wyoming; nephews and nieces Alex and Ross(Elizabeth) Nielsen, Christo(Tracy) and Erica Nielsen, Jory and Amelia Striegel, and Jeremy and James(Cari) Ridley. Bruce is preceded in death by his mother Irene G. Nielsen, father-in-law Ken Ridley, and nephew Josh Striegel. In keeping with the wishes of Bruce and Sandi, the family is having a private service. A Memorial Visitation will be held at the Sturino Funeral Home on Thursday, June 10, 2010 from 5:30 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.

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Bruce Nielsen

February 18, 1948 - June 7, 2010