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1953-2024
Bruce Edward Urbschat was born in Dayton, Ohio in 1953 to loving parents Chester and Winifred Urbschat. He grew up in Columbiana, Ohio with his siblings Teresa, Linda, Bill, and Ruth. He had a happy childhood, filled with lots of love and neighborhood adventures with his pals.
Bruce was always at the top of his class, including at graduation as Valedictorian. While in high school, he began taking college prep classes at a local university extension. This allowed him to graduate from The Ohio State University with a degree in mathematics in just three years.
Bruce and his family loved camping. They took several cross-country trips in a van Chet had converted into a camper. They would be joined at various points along the way by his lifelong friend Jim Burklo, and his family. He would later carry on the camping tradition with his wife and children, including a hike into the Grand Canyon with daughter Lauren.
Bruce was married to Nancy. They both earned master's degrees from OSU while living in Columbus, Ohio. During this time, Bruce trained for and ran two marathons. He and Nancy had their first child, Lauren. Daughter Leigh was born after their move to Massachusetts where the family lived for 35 years.
The move was precipitated by a job offer from the New England Power Pool which later became ISO New England, the regional transmission organization. Bruce was a conscientious, dedicated employee, never one to seek out attention. But in 2009, he was singled out as Employee of the Year.
Bruce and Nancy were partners in life. Bruce loved his wife and his children.
He was the epitome of patience. He was gentle and kind, always making time to play with his children -- drawing, puzzle-making, game-playing. He instilled in his children his love of reading. Their memories are filled with trips to the library to get stacks of books for the week's reading. Daughter Leigh would go on to become a librarian.
Bruce and Nancy enjoyed hosting daughter Lauren, her partner Michael, and granddaughter Teigan for a month at their home in Springfield, Mass. Bruce kept his granddaughter entertained with nightly dance parties. After Bruce's retirement from ISO New England, he and Nancy decided to move to Philly. At the time, daughter Leigh and her husband JaeHee were living in the city. Soon after the move, their granddaughter Yuri was born. Three years later, grandson Jalen arrived. Bruce was an attentive and loving grandfather. It was a happy time of transition.
Bruce always loved going to the symphony, theater, and museums but was thrilled at the caliber of Philadelphia's cultural offerings. Bruce and Nancy's final cultural excursion was to London in January 2024 for 10 days of theater going. He also enjoyed going to professional sporting events, particularly the 76ers and Phillies and including the World Series game four in 2022.
Bruce's health took a turn this past February. He fought a battle with cancer on several fronts, with complications at every turn. His struggle ended on May 22. Nancy, Lauren, Leigh, and Teigan were by his side during his final days.
Bruce's immediate family -- Nancy, Lauren, Michael, granddaughter Teigan, Leigh, JaeHee, granddaughter Yuri and grandson Jalen offer thanks to Pennsylvania Hospital for the expert and compassionate inpatient, at home, and inpatient hospice care he received.
Bruce's life will be celebrated on Saturday, July 27 at the Firestone Park gazebo in Columbiana, Ohio, starting at 4 p.m. A second event will be held later in Springfield, Mass. Details will be forthcoming. If you'd like to do something to honor Bruce's life, the family encourages you to donate to your library of choice in his name. Or, If you wish, you can donate to one of Bruce's favorites: Columbiana Public Library, Springfield City Library, or the Free Library of Philadelphia.
6/1/24