This one is a late posting for me and it hit me rather hard. How does one describe a first cousin that I looked up to, idolized, yet didn't see for so many years. Time is not our friend. Bruce's parents were my godparents. After my Aunt passed from cancer our family lost touch with both Bruce and his father Jack. It was a loss that could never be filled. I thought of them often and hoped that they thought of us. FB was at least one connector although Bruce never posted. Polly told me that he would often read of our antics - and I'm sure there were a few.
I miss you cousin.
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Bruce James Hickle unexpectedly passed away on Feb. 10, 2018 at their
home on Lake Panasoffkee, often referred to as the "Love Shack". He was 67 years
old. Bruce is survived by his cherished wife, Polly, as well as an eclectic
group of dear friends and colleagues. Born on August 21, 1950, the only child of
Elmer and Norma Hickle, Bruce grew up in Milwaukee. Wis. After graduation from
the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee in 1973, Bruce married the love of his
life, Polly Ann LeClair of Two Rivers, Wis. in 1974. Bruce and Polly moved to
Crystal River in 1982. Bruce had a rewarding career in the nuclear power
industry. He received a Master's Degree in Nuclear Engineering from Catholic
University in Washington, D.C. Bruce worked in nuclear plants in Point Beach,
Wis., Omaha Public Power District in Nebraska, Donald C. Cook Plant in Michigan
and Florida Power's Crystal River Unit 3 Plant in Florida, where he served as
Plant Manager prior to his retirement. In 2002, Bruce began a second career in
Public Administration with the city of Bushnell. After a decade as utilities
director, he was appointed to the role of city manager. Bruce served on the
Executive Board of the Florida Municipal Power Agency. Bruce truly enjoyed
"Making Memories" with family and friends. He was passionate about dancing,
playing guitar, learning Spanish, experiencing foreign cultures, as well as
expanding his culinary skills. Bruce was a pilot and enjoyed boating, biking,
kayaking, scuba diving and fishing. He was a member of the Spirit of Citrus
Dancers, the American Association of Mechanical Engineers and the Loyal Order of
the Moose. Bruce was a devoted husband and faithful friend. He is survived by
his wife, Polly, of 43 years; mother-in-law Carol LeClair of Two Rivers Wis.;
brother-in-laws Joseph (Betsy) LeClair and Peter (Sandy) LeClair of Two Rivers
Wis.; sister-in-laws Trudy LeClair and Nancee (Craig) Rysticken, of Two Rivers
Wis., Susan (Dan) Schmeichal of Suamico Wis.; Mary (Mike) Kinahan of Scituate
Mass.; Marsha (Steve) Dvorak of Depere Wis. ; and Christie (Jeff) Jackson of San
Diego Calif.; cousins Denise (Robert) Goetter of Lac du Flambeau Wis., Arthur
(Marge) Meredith of Waukesha Wis., Kimberlee (John) Kinsler of Minneapolis,
Minn., Karise (Gina Wieler) of Grand Forks N.D., Kristi (Tim) Brannick of
Zimmerman Minn., Kendra Goelz of Bloomington Minn.; as well as numerous nieces,
nephews and dear friends. Bruce was preceded in death by his parents, Elmer and
Norma Hickle, as well as his father-in-law, Paul LeClair. Memories of Bruce may
be shared at www.purcellfuneralhome.com. Celebration of Life will be held at a
later date. Arrangements entrusted to Purcell Funeral Home, Bushnell
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https://www.sumtercountytimes.com/content/bushnell-mourns-loss-city-manager
Bushnell mourns loss of city manager By Brenda Locklear Tuesday, February 13,
2018 at 10:22 am
(Updated: February 14, 6:34 pm) Things were somber around Bushnell City Hall
on Monday - it's when city staff and community members either learned or
confirmed that City Manager Bruce Hickle, 67, died over the weekend.
Bruce Hickle Hickle stepped into the city manager position in August 2013,
after a decade as the city's utilities director. "March 3 would have been his
15-year anniversary," with the city, said city Human Resources Director Kelly
Marcoux. Finance Director Jody Young has 10 years in at the city. Because of
working with city finances, she worked closely with Hickle and was emotional
when she spoke about him on Monday. "It's kind of hard to talk about right
now. He was definitely a leader and someone that I considered a mentor.
Someone that I looked up to and had a great deal of respect for. "Bruce was a
person that was really, really good at keeping a level head," no matter what
was going on," said Young. She said one of the key things she learned from him
was that "sometimes you have to keep your emotions and reaction outs of
things. "I just have a lot of respect for him." "He didn't micromanage. He had
a way of getting us to take ownership," she said, adding that he had a kind of
steady presence, with the comfort that if they needed him, he was there. Young
said she thinks that "goes a long way for building people's confidence in
their job - when you know someone believes in you and they trust you with the
things that need to be done." Young started at the city as an accountants
payable clerk under the late Joy Coleman and was feeling the loss of the
second person she considered a mentor at the city. "I'm sorry, it's just
hitting me," she said with emotion, noting that Monday was a tough day. While
there hasn't been any confirmation on how Hickle died, he was out all last
week with a flu-like stomach virus and an upper respiratory illness before
that, according to Marcoux. She said he had actually seemed to improve a
little on Friday, but instead of getting better, Hickle died overnight,
between Friday and Saturday. There is no service planned. Hickle replaced
Vince Ruano in the city manager position. Ruano had spent more than 30 years
in the position and was close to city staff. But Hickle, "was a good
replacement for Vince, we all worked really well together, as a team," Marcoux
said, adding that Hickle was team-goal oriented. "He is going to be missed
tremendously," Marcoux said. He was a "very low key person - quiet and steady.
He sat back and analyzed things. He listened to people, he had an open mind."
She said while he might not always agree, he would always listen. What few
people knew was that Hickle was not only an electrical engineer, but a nuclear
engineer as well, according to Marcoux, who said he was supposed to be one of
very few people who didn't earn the degree in the United States Navy. By the
time he went to work for Bushnell, he had already worked in various positions
in a nuclear power plant, including plant manager. For Bushnell residents and
downtown business owners, Hickle had a notable impact with a change he made at
utilities. "Years ago, all the squirrels would blow the lines," said Marcoux
of the city's power lines. The squirrels would run the lines and short out the
power in areas of Bushnell. But when Hickle came on as utilities director, he
put new processes in place and new wires, putting an end the frequent outages.
He was the upfront contact for the city during a recent battle with SECO over
electric customers. Before Bushnell, Hickle worked at Florida Power and Light,
until they merged with another electric company. Hickle had a home in Lake
Panasoffkee and in Crystal River, but notes that his main place of residence
is at the lake. "It's pretty devastating," said Bushnell Mayor Bil Spaude.
"Bruce was good to work with and good to work for. He did a good job for the
city," Spaude said.
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