Bruce Waterhouse

Mr. Bruce L. Waterhouse, Sr. age 88 years of Niles, Michigan died at 9:50 a.m. on Wednesday, April 15, 2015 at his home.

He was born on May 19, 1926 in Lorain, Ohio to Clifford Charles and Cary May (Leiter) Waterhouse. He graduated from Lorain High School, worked for a few months, and then entered the United States Navy. After two years of service – mostly at sea – he was discharged as a Veteran of World War II. He earned a Bachelors degree from Oberlin (Ohio) College, and soon came to Niles to be employed as chemist in the laboratory of the former Niles plant of the Kawneer Company. He was later employed at the former Ball Band Division of U.S. Rubber in Mishawaka, Indiana prior to beginning his thirty-one years of service in the labs of the National-Standard Company in Niles. His remarkable career included several patents and a publication in the Library of Congress.

Bruce was a member of the First Presbyterian Church in Niles, was a fifty-year member of its choir, and was active in several other areas of the congregation’s life including serving on the board of its Foundation. He had served on the board of the Berrien County Department of Social Services (now Department of Human Services), and the City of Niles Board of Public Works, and was a member of the former City Club, and Niles Jaycees. He was a long-time member of the Niles-Buchanan YMCA. He participated in both men’s and couples’ Bridge clubs, and golfed in the National-Standard league.

He enjoyed reading both current events and mysteries, gardening with neighbors and friends, and a variety of card games and dominoes. He was also a fan of the Chicago Cubs.

On August 23, 1952 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, he married the former Mary Jane “Janey” Bell with whom he celebrated last year the sixty-second anniversary of their wedding.

Surviving Bruce is his wife, Janey Waterhouse and their children, Wendy Harding of Niles, Bruce (& Sandy) Waterhouse, Jr. of Solon, Ohio, Julie Waterhouse of Las Vegas, Nevada, Charles (& Diane) Waterhouse of Ann Arbor, Michigan, and David (& Sheila Nicholas) Waterhouse of Ann Arbor; grandchildren Lindsay (& Jessica) Harding, Hilary Harding, and Nicholas, Cameron, Zachary, Alexander, Mackenzie, Aidan, Samuel, and Finnegan Waterhouse; and Bruce Sr.’s sister, Audrey (& Elmer) Meyers of Vermilion, Ohio and many nieces and nephews.

He was preceded in death by sisters Ora May Retzlaff, Elizabeth MacMillan, and Roberta Ashby, and a brother, Clifford “Bud” Waterhouse.

The funeral service for Mr. Bruce Waterhouse, Sr. will be at 4:00 p.m. on Saturday, April 18, 2015 at the First Presbyterian Church in Niles with the Rev. Fran Lane-Lawrence officiating. Interment will be private, on Monday, at Mission Hills.

The family will receive relatives and friends from 4:00 until 7:00 p.m. on Friday at the Halbritter Funeral Home in Niles. Contributions in memory of Mr. Waterhouse may be made to The Foundation of First Presbyterian Church.

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