N. Bruce Bodily, a devoted husband, father, and beloved teacher of youth, passed away on November 20, 2023, in St. George, Utah, at the age of 68 from complications of Leukemia.
Bruce Bodily was born on January 20th, 1955, in Twin Falls, Idaho. He was the son of Jack Darrell Bodily and Dona Bowen Bodily.
He spent his childhood in Burley, Idaho, a place that he often referred to as “home”. The family moved to American Fork Utah in 1971. He loved playing sports and was a member of the American Fork High School Caveman football team. His family taught him a strong work ethic during his growing up years, and he worked hard at the grocery store his family owned in town called Jack's IGA.
Bruce was a life-long active member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and served in many callings and participated in a host of activities and service projects. After high school, Bruce served a full-time mission in Denmark; an experience that would set the direction of his vocational pursuits.
He earned his Bachelor's Degree in Organizational Behavior at Brigham Young University and then went on to earn his Master's Degree in Educational Counseling from the University of Phoenix.
He married his college sweetheart, Dana Pope, in 1983 at the Jordan River LDS Temple in Utah. Early in their marriage, Dana and Bruce lived in Layton, Utah as Bruce received his retail training with The Bon Marché. Then they moved to Bellingham, Washington as he was promoted to assistant manager.
Bruce was a gifted teacher and enjoyed working with young people. He chose to pursue a career of teaching in The Church Educational System (CES) with a focus on high school-aged seminary, where he spent the majority of his professional career. He received his teacher training in Logan, Utah and taught in various locations in Utah, including Blanding, Kearns, West Valley City, and South Jordan. He was an enthusiastic student of the scriptures and was able to recall poignant Church leader conference addresses with ease. His favorite scripture is from Doctrine & Covenants 101:16 which quotes Our Savior speaking to Joseph Smith during a bleak period of mob persecution of the early Latter-day Saints: "...Be still and know that I am God."
Later in life, he worked for the Jordan School District, where he served as a bus driver, route supervisor, and computer specialist. In retirement, Bruce and Dana settled in Mesquite, Nevada, where he continued to be active as a shuttle bus driver.
His hobbies included football, golf, and avidly following college sports. Bruce was also a passionate gamer which he shared with his growing children over the years. He greatly enjoyed reading novels with action and suspense, including Tom Clancy and John Grisham and western books by Louis L’Amour.
Bruce grew to enjoy cooking as a hobby, especially Dutch oven cooking. He loved the outdoors and enjoyed camping, hunting, and family vacations. He loved spending time with friends and family, and playing cards, board games, and puzzles.
Bruce was a captivating and relatable public speaker. In family settings, he was often entertaining, and didn’t mind embellishing personal experiences to the enjoyment of his nieces and nephews. His friendliness and great sense of humor was endearing. Family gatherings were always a place of love and kindness and a lot of laughter. He and his wife Dana were quick to share what they had and looked for opportunities to be of service to others.
N. Bruce Bodily was preceded in death by his parents, Jack Darrell Bodily and Dona Bowen Bodily, and a sister, Marilyn Bodily, as well as a brother, Daniel Kurt Bodily.
He is survived by a sister, RaNell Coleman (Merwin) of Sandy, Utah, and a brother, Lynn Bodily (Janice) of Oswego, IL, and also by his children: Nichole Bodily Gilbert (Mesquite, NV) and Jack S. Bodily (Salt Lake City, Utah).
Funeral services will be held on Saturday, December 2, 2023, 12:00 pm, at the Walker Sanderson Funeral Home, 646 E. 800 N. in Orem, Utah. A viewing will be held that same day just prior to the service from 11:00am – 12:00pm. For those unable to attend you may view services online at www.walkersanderson.com, starting at 12pm MST.
Interment will take place at Lehi Cemetery, 1525 N. 600 E. Lehi, Utah.
For those who wish to express their condolences, flowers or messages may be sent to the Walker Sanderson Funeral Home in Orem. In lieu of flowers, the family encourages donations to the LDS Relief Fund, Primary Children's Hospital, or a cancer research institute of your choosing.
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