N. Bruce Howe Jr., 95, lifelong resident of Winona Lake and Warsaw, died peacefully at his home at 12:15 a.m. Oct. 9, 2015, with his wife and daughter by his side. "Angels," as he was known to many, was born to Newton Bruce and Helen Howe on Sept. 12, 1920. On April 20, 1974, in Plymouth, he married Ann Ellis, who survives, and resided at "Dream Lake.” He was a graduate of Warsaw High School and later attended Manchester College. He served in the Army from June 3, 1943, through Nov. 20, 1945. He was in the European Theater of Operations where he served at Normandy (Battle of the Bulge), Northern France, Rhineland, Central Europe and the Ardennes. He received the FAME Ribbon with five Bronze Stars, American Theater Ribbon, Good Conduct Ribbon and Victory Award. His rank at the end of his service was first sergeant. After celebrating his 95th birthday on Sept. 12, 2015, the Salvation Army's Ken Locke accompanied Bruce to the Freedom Honor Flight to Washington, D.C., to see the war memorials. After the war, Bruce began working at Rodeheaver in Winona Lake, later Rodeheaver Word Music Inc., for 50 years. As vice president he was responsible for working with copyrights. He worked with many notable recording artists such as Anita Bryant, Elvis Presley and B.J. Thomas in the gospel music genre. He had a lifelong passion for community service, starting with Winona Lake Fire Department. He served from 1938-2015 and was fire chief for over 20 years. During his years of service, one of the highlights was saving the lives of two young boys, Dale and Jay Benson, on April 28, 1956. His altruistic endeavors didn't end there. Throughout his 95 years, he was involved in many charitable causes and awarded numerous awards. "Angels" was a regular and “charter member” of Breading’s Cigar Store where he was awarded "Man of the Year.” Some other service organizations Bruce was involved with were the Shriners Hospital for Children, the Rodeheaver Boys Ranch in Palatka, Fla.; and the Salvation Army where he spearheaded the Rotary Club’s fundraising program, helping to raise hundreds of thousands of dollars for charity. He was president of Rotary from 1959-1960. Some of the numerous awards he received were: Warsaw Man of the Year, 1986 and again in 1995; Sagamore of the Wabash, 2003; Order of the Kosciuszko 2014; Lifetime Achievement Award from Rodeheaver Boys Ranch, 2015; William Booth Award of Salvation Army, 1999; Winona Lake Fireman of the Year, 1964; and Bill Reneker Memorial Award, 2010. Bruce and Ann entertained thousands of people with their Christmas light display at Dream Lake before donating much of the display to the City of Warsaw. He was an avid golfer, bowler, fisherman and softball player throughout his life. Also surviving are one son, Greg (and spouse Sydney) Ellis; three daughters, Debbie (and spouse Barry) DeMuth, Lindy (and spouse Bruce) Waldman and Cindy (and spouse Tony) Aliteri; one sister, Helen Claire LeCount; five grandchildren: Sara Ellis (and spouse Jimmy) Bauman, Katy Ellis (and spouse Brandon) Hilts, Chase Aliteri, Abigail Waldman, Hannah Waldman; a great-granddaughter, Emma Love Bauman; seven nephews: Brad Howe; Chuck and Bruce Kiesling, and Jim, Jerry, John and Jeff LeCount. He was preceded in death by two brothers, Bo and Bobby Howe, and a sister, Kate Kiesling. Services will be at 11 a.m. Wednesday at McHatton-Sadler Chapel, Warsaw, with Ken Locke and The Rev. Corinne Hodges officiating. Burial will follow at Oakwood Cemetery with military honors by Warsaw American Legion Post 49, VFW Post 1126 and the Indiana ARNG. Calling is from 4 to 8 p.m. Tuesday at the funeral home. ***** Memorials to Salvation Army, 501 E. Arthur St. Warsaw, IN 46580; Shriners Hospital for Children 2211 N. Oak Park Ave Chicago, IL 60707; and Rodeheaver Boys Ranch 380 Boys Ranch Road Palatka, FL 32177. Condolences via www.mchattonsadlerfuneralchapels.com
