Bruce E. Ide

Last Updated on August 14, 2026 by Cass County Communication Network

Macy, Indiana – Bruce Eglin Ide, husband, father, brother, friend, adventurer, optimist, and occasional victim of his own enthusiasm, passed away on August 8, 2026, at the age of 72.

If you knew Bruce, you probably know that “passed away” is not quite the way he would have approached most things. Bruce was, above all else, an optimist. Give him ten pieces of news, nine of them terrible and one of them even slightly encouraging, and Bruce would focus on the good one. Not because he didn’t see the problems, but because he genuinely believed there was always a way forward.

That optimism was one of the many things that made him so easy to love.

Bruce was born on July 31, 1954, to James and Bonnie Ide. He graduated from Logansport High School in 1972 and married Vaneen on August 17, 1980. Together, they built a life filled with family, friendships, projects, and more than a few things that were probably supposed to be temporary but somehow remained for years.

Bruce was an amazing father to his sons, Clark and James. He was endlessly supportive of their hopes and dreams, always ready to help, encourage, problem-solve, or simply show up. He may not have been entirely convinced that soccer was the greatest sport, but he was convinced that watching Clark play was worth it. Throughout the late 1990s and early 2000s, Bruce spent countless weekends traveling across the Midwest to watch his son play. The soccer itself may have been debatable; being there for his son was not.

And Bruce was exceptionally good at showing up—often without calling or giving any advance notice at all. He had a well-known habit of simply appearing when you needed him, whether you were across town or across the country. Over the years, he made surprise visits to family all over the United States, always arriving with that same unmistakable Bruce energy: unannounced, unbothered, and completely ready to help however he could.

Bruce had an intuitive mechanical ability that seemed to operate on a level entirely his own. Unfortunately for his children, he inexplicably neglected to pass this particular talent along. He was widely remembered as one of the best bicycle mechanics in Logansport, able to look at something mechanical and seemingly understand instinctively how it worked—or how it should work.

This gift served him well because Bruce never met a project he didn’t want to commence.

Finishing the project was another matter. His projects did not always reach completion, but they almost always produced a story

He also loved old cars. He collected them, searched for them, and sometimes even rebuilt them. He had a special talent for finding the diamond in the rough—it is possible that he enjoyed finding the diamond more than actually finishing the restoration, but that was part of the adventure.

Water was another great love. Bruce loved being on the water, where he learned to water ski and sail and developed a particular affinity for Hobie Cats—especially their sails. He was happiest when there was something to do, something to figure out, something to fix, or somewhere new to go.

His sisters, Lois, Carole, and Elaine, fondly remember growing up with their adventure-seeking brother and his healthy appreciation for mischief.

That spirit never really left him.

Neither did his friendships.

Bruce loved people, and people loved Bruce. He rarely met a person he couldn’t become friends with. He had a remarkable ability to make people feel welcome and connected, and if you were lucky enough to call Bruce a friend, you knew you could count on him. If you needed something, Bruce would show up. He might arrive with an unconventional solution, or a story about why the problem wasn’t really a problem—but he would show up.

And then there were the glasses.

Bruce was, by all accounts, an excellent repeat customer for the eyeglasses industry. He lost countless pairs of glasses while enthusiastically jumping into various lakes, apparently forgetting that eyeglasses do not particularly enjoy recreational swimming. The fact that this happened more than once did not seem to diminish his enthusiasm for lakes or jumping into them.

That was Bruce.

He was curious. He was adventurous. He was inventive. He was occasionally mischievous. He was stubborn in all the best ways. He saw possibilities where other people saw problems. And he believed, with a sincerity that was impossible to fake, that things were going to work out.

Bruce worked at National Friction/Carlisle in Logansport and spent his final working years before retirement at Whallon Machinery in Royal Center. He also served his community as a member of the Cass County Council.

Bruce will be remembered most as a husband, father, brother, and friend—and as the person who showed up. He showed up for his family, for his friends, for adventures on the water, for a promising old car, and for countless projects that probably should have been completed but somehow never quite were.

He was preceded in death by his brother, Jimmy, and leaves behind his beloved wife, Vaneen; his sons, Clark and his wife, Shana, and James and his wife, Conner; his three grandchildren; and his sisters, Lois, Carole, and Elaine, along with countless friends whose lives were made better, more interesting, and almost certainly more entertaining by knowing him.

Bruce spent his life looking for the positive, the possibility, and the next adventure.

Knowing Bruce, he would probably want us to do the same.

And if there is a lake wherever he is now, someone should probably remind him to take off his glasses.

Visitation will be from 3:00 to 6:00 P.M. Tuesday, August 18th, 2026 at Kroeger-Crain Funeral Home, funeral to follow visitation, officiating Father Clark Miller.

Condolences can be shared at https://www.kroegerfuneralhome.com.