Bruce Paul Lopez
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Memorial Mass for Bruce Paul Lopez, 61, Lawrence, will be held at 10:00 a.m. Saturday, October 12, 2019 at St. John the Evangelist Catholic Church in Lawrence. Bruce passed away Thursday, October 3, 2019. A Rosary will be recited Friday, October 11th at 5 p.m. with a visitation to follow until 7 p.m. at Warren-McElwain Mortuary in Lawrence.
Bruce was born on July 3, 1958, in Garden City, Kansas, the son of Paul and Antonia (Blea) Lopez. Bruce grew up in Garden City, Kansas. He attended Thomas More Prep high school and University of Kansas.
He was the Director of Sales for a collection services company.
He married Mary Katherine Holter on June 8, 1996, in Lawrence, KS. The center of his life was his family, and he especially treasured his four grandsons and embraced every moment with them. He never met a stranger and was blessed with wonderful friends and coworkers who he considered his second family. Bruce will be dearly missed and forever in our hearts.
Bruce is survived by his wife, Mary, his daughter, Jessica Dwyer, Olathe, KS; son, Brian(Jessica) Dwyer, Wichita, four grandsons, Devon (9), twin grandsons, Travis and Brooks (6), and Easton (6 weeks); his father, Paul Lopez, Garden City, KS; sisters Patsy Ramirez Blackburn, Holcolm, KS; Paula Lopez Stevenson, Cimarron, KS; brother, Alexander Ramirez, Garden City, KS; and many nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his mother, Antonia Lopez.
Memorial contributions in Bruce’s memory may be made to Thomas More Prep-Marian, Jr./Sr. High School, c/o Advancement Office, 1701 Hall St., Hays, KS 67601 or to the Bruce Lopez Memorial Fund for his grandsons’ education and may be sent in care of Warren-McElwain Mortuary, 120 W. 13th Street, Lawrence, KS 66044.
I will always treasure the memories of him. I can still hear him say “hey CAB”, a nickname he gave me. He had a wonderful smile and was a kind and generous man. Mary, Jessica and Brian, I am so very sorry for this huge loss to your families.
My heart breaks for you. I’ll miss him.
It was a privilege and honor to know Bruce and call him my friend. I will remember his great smile and laugh. He always has a great story to share about one of his grandchildren and you could tell by talking with Bruce just how much he loved his family. I always looked forward to seeing him at a conference and sharing “work”
stories. To his family, I am very sorry for your loss. I will miss him.
As stunned as I am knowing that Bruce isn’t living on this earth anymore, God must of had good reasons for taking him so soon. Maybe because of his smile from ear to ear welcoming everyone that enters Heaven’s Stairway!!
May you rest in peace, cousin. So glad to see you were so loved by so many.
Lopez family~
Deepest sympathy on the passing of your husband, father, and grandfather. I knew Bruce from his days as a boarding student at Thomas More Prep-Marian High School in Hays. He was a kind soul and always had a smile on his face. He will be greatly missed. You are all in our thoughts and prayers.
I met Bruce back at Sallie Mae. He was a wonderful human being and will be missed dearly and remembered fondly. You are all in our thoughts and prayers.
I just had the pleasure of meeting this man and immediately felt how special he was! His good friend and classmate, Dick Werth introduced us at a Hays night spot! I know His unexpected passing will leave a huge void in the lives of many! Rest In Peace!!
I met Bruce when I worked at Butler University. He taught me a great deal and was a trusted colleague and friend. I will miss our conversations about his boys and basketball. Dear Lopez family, I am praying that God wrap you in the comfort of His peace at this time of extreme loss and heartache.
Mary and family,
I’m so sorry to hear about Bruce. What a treasure. His big smile will be missed by so many of us. He was one of the good ones. My thoughts are with you and the whole family.
I would run into Bruce from time to time. We would share stories about current events and our days at Sallie Mae. He was a good guy with a positive mental attitude. One of the good guys!
Bruce was such a good guy and was always so friendly and positive. I enjoyed working with Bruce in the Chamber of Lawrence-Leadership Lawrence program. He was so committed to assisting in selecting new community leaders for the program and helping to train and launch them.
Bruce always spoke to me about his family, which he was very proud of. He is too young to leave us, but he will never be forgotten.
Mary, I share my deepest condolences with you and your family. I never got to see Bruce often enough, but when our paths did cross, it was as old friends. Bruce’s wonderful sense of humor and laugh will never be forgotten. I cherish the friendship we shared.
Bruce and I met at Thomas More Prep in 1972 as Freshman in high school. We have remained friends for 47 years. He was one of my closest confidants and will forever miss him. Bruce was and is a “once in a lifetime” person and great friend. My mind has been flooded with such great memories. He treasured his family as they were the center of his life. His grandsons meant the world to him. RIP my friend!
To Mary and family, I am so very sorry for your loss. I was stunned to learn of Bruce’s passing. I met Bruce through my association with KASFAA. He was a big presence in the organization and held many leadership roles. He was always someone who I very much looked forward to visiting with at meetings and conferences. Bruce was one of those people who could light up a room with his smile and warmth. People were drawn to him. Anyone who knew him knew how much his family meant to him and how much joy he received from his grandchildren. He will be greatly missed!
Mary, What can I say, I was shocked with this sad news. You and Bruce were always so kind to me. I didn’t meet Bruce until the 90’s as we have common friends and right away we hit it off. One the the nicest guys anywhere. I am out of town this weekend so I cannot be there. He will be missed and if there is anything I can do for you please let me know
Mary,
I still feel like Bruce’s passing didn’t happen. I will never forget where I was when Brian called me to share the shocking news. You and Bruce have been such a special part of our lives. The relationship was never about him. He was always asking about our kids – what they were doing, status of their golf games, when their next tournaments were, etc. What surprised me the most was how he still asked about my parents and my sisters. His hugs were like no other. The love he showed our kids in coming to their golf tournaments was so appreciated. Claire just wrote a memoir for English class about Bruce and their special bond. Some day you will read it. It will make you cry but I know you’ll be so touched about the special person Bruce was. Now there’s another KU fan in Heaven cheering for the Jayhawks, too. We will keep all of you in our thoughts and prayers.
Mary and family. I wanted to share my prayers for you and your family during this difficult time. I knew Bruce through KASFAA, a state organization, and worked along side him for the past 10 years on committee’s and our organization’s board. His passing was such a shock to our community and he will be sorely missed at our events and throughout our industry. He was such a generous, caring and compassionate soul. He often spoke of his family, and the love he had for you all. He and I had fun talking about our grandchildren the the ornery plans we had for them. He was a special man.
Dear Lopez family,
I met Bruce when he attended TMP. He always put a smile on my face. I am so glad I got one last hug from him at the reunions in September. Rest in peace my friend. You will be missed by many.
Mary, my thoughts and prayers for you and family. He was admired by all. He was a “gentle man” and a true gentleman. It was nice to chat and see you both from time to time walking your dog on Carmel Drive. God’s blessings upon you.
Rip Bruce, Prayers go out to your family. It was great knowing you working at Sallie Mae all those years ago.
Our sincere condolences to Bruce’s family and to Paula, Paul his father, Patsy and Alex. Prayers for Peace and Healing in Jesus name on the loss of a father, son, brother, and uncle. We remember him when he was young growing up in Garden City. Sincerely, Richard and Loretta De La Rosa
I also worked with Bruce at Sallie Mae, and he was liked by everyone he came to know. What a great loss to all of his many friends and his family. Wishing all who are suffering peace and comfort. Karan and Curt Baucom
Dearest Mary,
One thing that you can believe forever – Bruce loved you deeply. I never saw him with you when his eyes were not on you the whole time. He absolutely adored you. The other truth about Bruce is that absolutely everyone who ever met him, remembered him – one of a kind, happy, smiling Bruce – always. I knew Bruce through Sallie Mae. He was always first to volunteer and pitch in. I remember one Christmas party at the Holiday Inn. He and I wrote a parody of The Night Before Christmas and made a big book cover for it. We laughed and laughed as we worked on it. We read it together for the whole group – I don’t think anyone could hear us over the festivities. It didn’t matter because we both had so much fun. Mary, this is going to be tough for you. Please remember that you have an ocean of people around you who will be there for you because that is what Bruce would want and that is what he would do for us. We all know that you were Number One in a world of people that he loved and loved him back. Hold tight to your grandbabies.
My very best wishes, Elaine