Patricia Ann Campbell Bruce, 83, died Feb. 13 in Lawrence. She was born March 13, 1939 in Melvern, KS. She attended Melvern High and the University of Kansas and in 1961 she became the first person in her family to graduate from college. After several years in retail, she began a long career at the Kansas Department of Labor in Topeka. After retiring in 2005, she continued to work essentially full-time as a volunteer at Just Food, the Lawrence Public Library, the Topeka Genealogical Society, and Kansas Public Radio.
A huge fan of KU basketball since the 1940s, she watched Clyde Lovellette and Wilt Chamberlain play at Hoch Auditorium, watched her team win four national championships, and was among thousands who flooded Mass Street after their 2008 victory .
Pat loved music, reading, genealogy research, British detective shows, gardening, good and bad puns, her friends and family. She is preceded in her death by her parents, Frank and Blanche Campbell, and her sister and nephew, Virginia and Bob Freeman. She is survived by her children, Heather, Gavin and Cameron, their spouses and five grandchildren. A celebration of her life will be held next spring. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in her honor to Just Food in Lawrence, the Lawrence Public Library or KPR.
