The world was a lot more fun with Bruce Ostrander in it.
Bruce was born to Larry and Vickie Ostrander in Ogallala, and spent his childhood on the ranches of the Nebraska Sandhills. Here he and his sister, Melisia, learned many valuable skills, including catching lizards and pulling practical jokes on their elders. Bruce could fix almost anything, which most likely stemmed from his early days of tearing apart what should have been “indestructible” Tonka toys. When Bruce was six, the family moved to Paxton, and this is where Bruce called home. He was well known for his shenanigans, his trusty dog, Sam, who Bruce trained to ride his motorcycle and pull a sled and for his work ethic. Bruce was willing to do most any job to earn money, which he in turn spent on fixing up cars. His path took him to Doane College where he made amazing, life-long friends and where he pulled off his first major sales pitch – snagging his wife, Janyce. They were richly blessed with 31 happy years of marriage. Bruce and Janyce lived their vows, as was modeled for them by both sets of parents as well as their siblings. They raised two sons, Jaden and Conley, on a little slice of heaven outside of Lincoln. Family time almost always revolved around the outdoors, whether it was boating, fishing, hunting, gardening or tinkering with the Beep-Beep. Memories galore abound from their annual trip to Battle Lake, Minnesota, where many life lessons were learned. Bruce’s quick wit and strong will live on in these two men he was so very proud of. Bruce had a knack for talking to people which served him well in his almost 30-year career with The Tool House/Total Tool. He greatly loved his work and his Total Tool Family, and he always said his sales team was the most amazing group of people. He cherished their time together and loved being out in the field with them. Bruce lived life to the fullest up until the very end, April 27, 2021. Though his time here on Earth was cut short by cancer, he put more life into his 55 years than some people do in 100. He was the life of the party, and he leaves a great void in the lives of all who knew him.
Left to tell his stories and cherish his memories are his wife, Janyce; sons, Jaden and Conley; parents, Larry and Vickie Ostrander; sister, Melisia (Steve) Bieber; father-in-law, James Schneider; the in-laws and out-laws, Cindy Schneider, Lyle and Gina Schneider, Ron and Cindy Schneider, Jeanine and Bill Stevens, Jeff and Abby Schneider; 17 treasured nieces and nephews; a band of brothers composed of cousins and close friends; and a wealth of solid friends. Bruce was preceded in death by his mother-in-law, Theresa; his grandparents, aunts, uncles, and close friends.
A Celebration of Life was April 30 in Denton. The May 1 funeral service was at St. Mary Catholic Church in Denton, followed by burial at Lincoln Memorial Cemetery. Condolences may be left for the family on the Lincoln Memorial Funeral Home website.
