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Taps are sounding for Bruce Albert Dobbs, age 90, of Winchester, Virginia, who passed away on Tuesday, October 13, 2015, at the Winchester Medical Center.

Bruce Albert Dobbs was born in Copan, Oklahoma, on March 13, 1925. He was the tenth and last child of David Bruar Dobbs and Barbara Ellen Dobbs. From the time he was a young boy, he worked peddling newspapers and doing labor for residents of Copan. He attended local schools and played football for the Copan High School Hornets. In October of 1942, he married his first wife, Hazel Britton. Together, they had two sons, Bruce Albert Dobbs, Jr. and Barry Stanton Dobbs. After they married, they moved to Kansas City where he was employed in the construction industry. In July 1943, three months after his 18th birthday, he decided to enlist in the Army Air Corps as a pursuit pilot. He went to Tulsa, Oklahoma, and passed all the necessary written and physical tests. He was scheduled for training at Kelly Field, Texas. However, due to heavy naval losses in the Pacific, he was shanghaied into the Navy. After spending four weeks at boot camp in San Diego, Bruce was shipped out aboard the USS Salt Lake City, a heavy cruiser en route to Hawaii, where he served in the Engineering Division. Within a month after coming aboard, he participated in the first of many engagements at Tarawa. He saw service throughout the Pacific Ocean at the Gilbert Islands, the Caroline Islands, the Marianas, Bonin, the Philippines, the Aleutian Islands, Iwo Jima, Okinawa, and the Ryukyu Islands. He participated in the occupation of Japan at the end of the war. In 1948, he voted for Harry S. Truman because he had the nerve to drop the atom bomb and thus spared Bruce’s life and the lives of thousands of American servicemen.

After the war, Bruce attended Coffeyville Junior College and Kansas State University, where he received his BA in 1950. Throughout his career, Bruce continued his education and did graduate work at the University of Colorado, New York University, and Kansas State University. He attended numerous schools where he learned about high explosives, ICBM fuels, and oxidizers. He was employed by several major corporations and organizations, such as AMC, American Bridge, Martin Marietta, US Corps of Engineers, Blue Grass Army Depot, US Postal Service, and finally with the Department of Labor-OSHA. He was a licensed Safety Engineer and mentored many professionals in the field of safety engineering.

On October 4, 1954, Bruce married Donis Maree Fox in San Louis Obispo, California. Together, they had three sons, Gerald Stephen Dobbs, Kerwin Delon Dobbs, Dana Regan Dobbs, and one daughter, Ramona Gail Dobbs. They were married for 60 years.

Bruce taught his children and grandchildren the value of education and of caring for family. He enjoyed traveling, camping, hunting, and fishing. The great outdoors and its wonders often rejuvenated him. He loved to share stories about his childhood, parents, siblings, and extended family. Although he initially did not want to be in the Navy, he found he was fond of the Pacific Ocean and the beautiful islands he saw as a young serviceman. Throughout his life, he enjoyed listening to Texas Swing, Big Band, and Hawaiian music. He enjoyed dancing as recreation and loved watching a good football game or western movie. Also, Bruce lived in more than fifty places in his lifetime. He always enjoyed meeting new people and seeing new places. He was a life member of the VFW.

Bruce is preceded in death by his wife, Donis; his parents, David Bruar Dobbs and Barbara Ellen Dobbs; four sisters, Alpha Dayne Dobbs, Alma Dobbs, Ella Matteson, and Helen Chloe Doherty; five brothers, Orville Dobbs, Leo Dobbs, Dallas Dobbs, Dale Dobbs, and Russell Olyn Dobbs; two sons, Bruce Albert Dobbs, Jr. and Dana Regan Dobbs; and two grandsons, Ryan Austin Dobbs and Daniel Brandon Dobbs.

He is survived by three sons, Barry Dobbs, Gerald Dobbs, and Kerwin Dobbs; and one daughter, Ramona Dobbs; three stepdaughters, Judy Riedle, Randi Hill, and Cindi Munoz-Sanchez; one stepson, Larry Hill; thirteen grandchildren; and many great-grandchildren.

The family will receive friends on Friday from 1:00 PM to 2:00 PM at Omps Funeral Home, South Chapel, 1260 Front Royal Pike, Winchester, Virginia prior to the service.

A Funeral Service will be conducted at 2:00 PM at Omps Funeral Home, South Chapel with military honors being afforded by the V.F.W. Post # 2123 and entombment will follow in Shenandoah Memorial Park.  A reception will follow at Omps Funeral Home, South Chapel.

Memorial Contributions in Bruce’s name can be made to the Alzheimer’s Association, 3701 Pender Dr. Suite 400 Fairfax, VA 22030.