Obituary of Bruce Coupe

BRUCE BARMBY COUPE' SON, BROTHER, HUSBAND, FATHER, GRANDFATHER, FRIEND Bruce Barmby Coupe' was born in Sacramento, California on May 29, 1941 to Evelyn Barmby Coupe' and Daniel William (Bill) Coupe'. Bruce married Rosa Maria de Gonzales, in Guadalajara, Mexico in 1962. Bruce passed away quietly at Enloe Hospital in Chico on Sunday, November 4, 2012, surrounded by his immediate family. He was able to speak to them of his love for them, and express he was ready for his next journey. They all prayed together, as he requested, as he slipped into his final sleep. Bruce leaves a wonderful warm family to carry on his family name and good works; his wife of 50 years, Rosa; his mother, Evelyn Barmby Coupe' of Chico; his sister, Cathleen Lynch (Jim) of Chico; two sons, Arturo (Kendra) of Chico and Javier (Holly) of Sacramento; five fine grandkids, Brad, Kevin, Nicholas, Heather and Matthew. Bruce was raised on a cattle ranch in Wilton, California with his sister, Cathleen and their parents, Bill and Evelyn. The family moved to Elk Grove, CA when Bruce was ten, and eventually to Chico in 1958. Bruce graduated from Chico High School in 1960 before attending Chico State College in the school of Agriculture, where he earned an AA degree in Agriculture. Bruce's education and life experiences as a youth, prepared him on a path as a successful mechanic, and businessman. After college, he worked for Arends Equipment, the local Massey Ferguson Dealership, where he quickly rose to the service manager position. In 1968, after Arends Equipment closed its doors, Bruce started his own business, Bruce's Tractor & Equipment on Dayton Road in Chico. In 1986, he took on the Massey Ferguson Tractor franchise and moved to Three Sevens Lane, which he owned until 2000. As successful as Bruce was in business, he was equally successful in his private life, where he made hundreds of friends, as he got involved in the Butte County community. Bruce was a passionate person in all of his pursuits. When he was involved it was always going to be done the right way. He was one of the first and a founding member of Butte County Search and Rescue. He eventually worked his way to becoming Captain for 8 years, and stepped down in 1986 because of the efforts he had to put into his new tractor franchise business, although he remained a member for 38 years. In 1974, he joined as a member and officer in the local Four Wheel Drive Club, 4x4's Unlimited. With his knowledge and skill as a mechanic, and help from his father, they built one of the "finest 4 wheel drive rigs" in Northern California. With his son, Javier they enjoyed many 4 wheel drive events over the years, speaks volumes of his skill and passion. Bruce was introduced to snowmobiles, which became more of a family outing event. He was an officer for years of Butte Hillsliders, where he and son, Arturo participated in many if not all of the snowmobile events. Bruce then discovered scuba diving. Again his passion ruled, and he became a very good scuba diver, and traveled to many of the greatest scuba diving areas in North America. He had the finest equipment and was an expert on safety. Underwater Photography became another passion. He even taught many people the sport and schooled them on water safety. He had to give up scuba diving because of an unforeseen event some 20 years ago. However, that did not slow Bruce down. Bruce became an avid Brewmaster. In 1998, he began brewing beer and enjoyed this with a local brew club. He quickly introduced his latest venture to his sons and they shared many wonderful times. At any given time he would have 4 to 6 kegs of beer for family and friends to enjoy. He then joined a local Antique Tractor Club, Vintage Iron. His knowledge and love of mechanics and tractors provided him with many years of friendships and recreation. He was an officer for years, again always making sure things were done right. Vintage Iron was not only a hobbie for Bruce, it was a learning and teaching experience as it is for all its members. Bruce loved Vintage Iron, the members, the tractors and the experiences. During this entire time, Bruce was a member of the Chico Elks Lodge 423. He especially enjoyed being in the Elk's RV Club. As a member of Elks, he recently received his 40 year membership pin and was bestowed the honor of being made a "Lifetime Member of Elks". But for Bruce one of his biggest passions was his involvement with his church, Our Divine Savior (ODS). Over the last several years, he was a very big part of a group, Catholic's Returning Home. It was one of the things he was most proud about being involved in. Poet Wallace McRea ends his poem "My Requiem" with the line: "May my mark be carried lightly in the hearts and minds of Men". That would make Bruce very happy. There will be a visitation at Brusie Funeral Home at 676 Broadway Street on Friday, November 9, 2012 from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. A sacred mass celebrating Bruces's life well be held Saturday, November 10, 2012 at Our Divine Savior Catholic Church, 566 Lassen Avenue, at 10 a.m., to be followed by a reception in the ODS Community Hall.