Bruce Chambers

Bruce passed away on Wednesday, March 25, 2020, at Sanford Hospice House, surrounded by his loving family, at the age of 73. Bruce Andrew Chambers was born on October 15, 1946, to William and Evelyne (Sime) Chambers in Fort William, Ontario (now known as Thunder Bay). He was the third of three children, including brother Bill and sister Brenda. Bruce attended Isabella Grade School and Fort William Collegiate Institute, graduating in 1967. He was an athlete who excelled in basketball, football, and track & field. Bruce also enjoyed skiing, for which Thunder Bay is well known. Growing up, Bruce worked in several jobs, including as a counselor at a local YMCA summer camp and in the paper mill industry. After high school, Bruce enrolled at Moorhead State College in Minnesota, earning an education degree in 1971. He stayed on at MSC (now MSUM), where he worked in the Comstock Memorial Union as part of the Student Development Department staff. He held a variety of roles, but most of all, he was a mentor to student leaders. For the rest of his life, Bruce held a passion for mentoring and coaching others. He was well-known for providing unconditional support that would help launch many endeavors - including the Fargo-based biotechnology company Aldevron. In 1971 he married Lori Johnson, and together they had two sons, Michael and Matthew. Bruce and Lori later divorced but remained friends. In 1979, Bruce and his young family moved to Carrington, North Dakota, to join Robson Honey Company, owned by his father-in-law Dewey. His favorite activity in this role was visiting farmers and exploring new territory for bee yards. In 2005, Bruce launched "Have Bees, Will Travel," a company focused on providing pollination and other honeybee-related services. His business focused on delivering essential bees to the California almond growers. Bruce was skilled at networking and logistics. He coordinated the distribution of thousands of hives from all over the country to growers in California. Bruce also taught his granddaughters how to raise bees. He built them a small apiary, complete with bees, hives, and honey extracting equipment. Bruce shot many amateur beekeeping instructional videos in hopes of passing on his knowledge. Five years ago, Bruce began to turn over his business to a young couple from Glyndon, Minnesota, Jared and Ashley Knapper, and he became the adopted grandpa to their three kids. Bruce was always excited to share his unique beekeeping skills with the Knappers. In recent years Bruce dedicated time to encouraging hobbyist beekeepers and to promoting issues supporting the health of bees, in particular the issue of colony collapse disorder. He was a member and speaker at the Red River Beekeeper Association, a hobby club. Bruce was an avid golfer, even in late 2019 when he was able to golf in the Phoenix area until his health declined. He has attended the US Open, Ryder Cup and the Masters. He was a member of the Red River Valley Senior Men's Golf Tour, and enjoyed traveling to various courses in the area and northwestern Minnesota. Bruce loved the title "Grandpa Bruce" and enjoyed spending time with his five beloved granddaughters. He loved family gatherings and accompanying the family on many cruises. His favorite thing in the world was when friends and family got together. A few years ago, Bruce was introduced to the local Randy's Restaurant and ate at least one meal a day there. In light of the current Coronavirus Pandemic, the family has encouraged donations to Randy's to provide meals to seniors, many of whom also made Randy's their source of home-cooked meals. Bruce was recently reacquainted with the Christian faith of his youth. Five years ago, he began attending Community Baptist Church in Fargo with son Michael and his family. He openly professed his trust in the Lord and talked of reuniting with his parents. One of his favorite scripture readings is Psalm 91. Bruce passed into eternity on Wednesday, March 25, 2020, with his sons holding his hands. He fought a years-long battle with multiple myeloma (cancer) and COPD, complicated by a more recent attack of Progressive Multifocal Leukoencephalopathy (PML) for which he was treated at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota. For the past week he was at the Sanford Hospice House in Fargo. The family wishes to thank the many caregivers and doctors at Mayo Clinic and St. Mary's Hospital, as well as those at Sanford Health in Fargo. In addition to many other friends and relatives, Bruce is survived by his sons Mike (Victoria) and Matt, former wife and friend Lori, his five beloved granddaughters Isabelle, Reagan, Evelyn, Lydia, and Beatrix, niece Susan (Dan) Sorenson, nephew Scott Chambers, sister-in-law Jackie (Bob) Nickason, brother-in-law Ron (Dawn) Robson, and sister-in-law Sharon Johnson. Bruce was preceded in death by his parents, as well as his brother and sister.