- Date Of Birth: January 19, 1922
- Date Of Death: August 5, 2020
- State: Illinois
H. Bruce Carter, age 98, of Earlville, passed away on August 5, 2020, at the Heritage Healthcare Center in Mendota. Bruce was born on January 19, 1922, on the Carter family farm south of Earlville, the son of Mark and Jane (Aitken) Carter.
He graduated from eighth grade at the Bliss Country School. In 1940, he graduated from Earlville High School. He was the last remaining member of his class that graduated 80 years ago. He and his brothers assumed farming responsibilities when their father was called to build the defense plant at Wilmington and the Green River Ordinance Plant. Bruce then continued to farm all of his life until retirement in 1989. Along with farming, he was an inspector for the Illinois Crop Improvement Association. He married LaVerle Lee, the daughter of Alfred and Belle (Hough) Lee, of Earlville, on August 30, 1945, at the Gary Methodist Church, Wheaton. They would have celebrated 75 years of marriage at the end of the month. Bruce and LaVerle have two children, Harold Carter and Jean (Larry) Imel, both of Earlville.
Also, surviving are two granddaughters, Kristy (Mark) Actis of Earlville and Jill (Andrew) Sondgeroth of Germantown Hills. They have seven great-grandchildren, Carter Imel, Avery Strohm, Payton Actis, Emma, Ben, Hannah, and William Sondgeroth. Bruce was an Elder and a lifelong member of the Earlville United Presbyterian Church. He served as church treasurer and secretary for many years. He was a leader of the Presbyterian Youth Fellowship and an active member of the Earlville Chapter of the Presbyterian Mariners. He was a Charter member of the Earlville Community Historical Society and served as a docent into his nineties. Bruce was a volunteer ambulance driver for 14 years. He joined the Mendota Elks Club so that he and LaVerle could go to dances. Bruce enjoyed square dancing and going to dances throughout the area. Bruce was a nature lover. He was able to identify birds by their calls, trees by their bark and leaves, animals by their tracks, and all the wildflowers. He was also an avid collector of Indian artifacts. He traveled to archeological shows to display his vast collection of arrowheads, which were all personal finds. Later, he became interested in collecting pearl buttons, particularly those that originated from the Fox River clams. He enjoyed nature poetry and entertained his children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren with recitations of favorite memorized poems. Together, Bruce and LaVerle traveled extensively at home and abroad. On their annual family trips, they alternated between going out west and going north to Canada fishing.
Bruce was preceded in death by his parents; his sisters, Marion Carter Cody and Gwendolyn Carter Shaddle, and his brothers Forrest and Howard Carter.
