Bruce Nachtigal
March 20, 2012
Bruce Burdell Nachtigal was born December 18, 1929, in Little Rock, Iowa, the son of Henry and Mattie (Christians) Nachtigal. Bruce grew up in the Little Rock area and worked on the farm with his parents. He later worked for Wright Tree service. He served in the United States Navy from 1951 to 1955. Bruce married Dolores (Walter) Nachtigal in 1952. They had three children Nancy, Kevin and Brad.
After the service, he worked for Lyon County and later for Iowa Department of Transportation in Rock Rapids. He was then transferred to Sheldon in 1965, and in 1980 was transferred to Des Moines where he worked until his retirement in June of 1993.
Bruce loved fishing, gardening and caring for his Purple Martins - which he looked forward to them coming back every spring. He enjoyed many years of watching sprint car racing with his family and friends.
Those left to cherish his memories are his wife, Dolores “Dee” of Ankeny; three children, Nancy (Nachtigal) Ennor of Sioux Falls, SD, Kevin Nachtigal of Ankeny, and Brad (Kristy Moon) Nachtigal of Des Moines; seven grandchildren, Russel, Travis, Jared, Brooke, Michael, Thomas, and Brandon; as well as five great-grandchildren, Payten, Jacob, Cameron, Tyler, and Laylah. He was preceded in death by his parents and two brothers, Floyd and Wallace.
Funeral services will be held 10 a.m., Friday, March 23, 2012, at Hamilton’s near Highland Memory Gardens, 121 NW 60th Avenue, with a private family burial held at a later date. The family will greet friends from 6 to 8 p.m., Thursday, March 22, at the funeral home.
Memorial contributions may be given to Holy Trinity Lutheran Church, 517 SW Des Moines Street, Ankeny, Iowa 50023, in loving memory of Bruce.
Online condolences may be made to:
www.HamiltonsFuneralHome.com
Bill, Keri & Rebecca Roland
03/24/2012
Dee and family,
As you neighbor's, we are sorry to hear about Bruce's passing. Though we don't know you real well, we did know Bruce enjoyed being outdoors and enjoyed life. Stay in touch with us and let us know if you need anything.
Bill, Keri & Rebecca Roland
1480 NW 71st Place
Jeff M. Mauk
03/22/2012
Dee, Nancy, Kevin and Brad,
I wanted to share a few of my memories of Bruce and the time we spent together.
He was a good man, someone I enjoyed being around very much, and someone I will miss.
He was a tough SOB in anyone's book and if you were faint of heart or could not take some ribbing my guess is you wouldn't fare so well in his company for the long haul.
If a person tried to calculate the number of times Bruce gave me a hard time about being a Steve Kinser fan their minds would melt into a puddle just doing the math. He loved to go to Knoxville and watching the World of Outlaws dog fight on that magical dirt! When you sit together for as many hours as we did you recall the unique way he raised his fist pumping, waving and urging Mark Kinser Go, Go, Go to the front of the pack. Im certain that in part Mark won a lot of those races because of that patented Bruce Nachtigal fist pump. Someone should probably tell Karl Kinser that.
They sell these really cool belt buckles at the Knoxville nationals. There were a limited number of these silver buckles produced newly each year which had the previous years Knoxville Nationals champion carved in it. The first time I saw him wearing his new buckle with Steve Kinser on it I nearly passed out. I could not believe it! With all the grief he gave me about rooting for Steve I would have bet anyone a million dollars that Bruce Nachtigal would never wear that buckle. Curiosity got the best of me and I asked him about it once. He put his hand on my shoulder smiled and said Well Jeffy I just thought it was kind of neat! OK and that was good enough for me. I liked how he always ended his sentences with OK. That expression like the buckle was uniquely Bruce.
We were fortunate to stay at Ron and Cris Findleys home in Knoxville for several years when we went to the Nationals. Every morning Brad and I would get up to cook eggs, bacon, and toast for breakfast. Bruce was pretty particular about how things got done in the cooking department. I guess, compared to the master chef he had at home we didnt stack up very well, but Bruce always managed to work with what he had. I can hear him clear as a bell even today Jeffy as it always started out Dont you break my damn eggs So every year for at least seven years there was that unavoidable pressure not to break the damn eggs. As with nearly anything in life the more you practice the better you get. With all of Bruces coaching I became a master egg flipper. As I look back it was my privilege to be part of that comical routine.
At night after each race the three of us would bust out the crackers, slice up some cheese and Cervelat sausage and drink a beer while dissect the nights racing events. Those conversations, out on the deck, under the stars and night sky, they were the best I ever had. By the way as if you didnt already know it, the sausage had to be Cervelat there was none better and I still buy it personally to this day!
Bruce wasnt nearly as tough as he pretended to be in front of me. To paint a fuller picture you would have to watch him around the little kids. There he would reveal the kind hearted and tender side he had. I can remember him talking to Jordan, Tanner and Kalya about this that and the other thing. Sitting in ear shot of those conversations let you know what kind of softy he really was. That tough guy wasnt fooling anyone he cared deeply about friends and family that surrounded around him.
Tears welled up in my eyes several times as I remembered and try to share these memories. It would have been nice to have just one more race, one more fist pump, and one more breakfast before he went to be with Jesus. While I understand he is in a better place and that we will eventually see him again good memories make you miss the people you made them with.
Brandt
03/22/2012
Dee and family,
So sorry to hear of Bruce's passing. We last saw you and Bruce about a year ago. So glad we stopped to visit and to receive one last hug from Bruce.
We so enjoyed our 20 years living next door and the friendship that we shared. We always enjoyed our visits with you both. Neighbors like you are a treasure. We are sending our deepest sympathy and prayers to all of you, he was a special man and we will remember him fondly.
Kevin, Lisa, Jonaton & Lauren Brandt
Billings, MT
Dana and Randy and kids
03/21/2012
Aunt Dee, Nancy and family, Kevin and family, Brad and family,
Our thoughts are with you during this difficult time. Take comfort in the knowledge that Uncle Bruce is at peace. Take care. Love, Dana
Dave & Janet
03/21/2012
Aunt Dee and Family.......
Thinking of you. We'll be keeping you in our prayers.
Love, Dave and Janet
Rae and Jim
03/21/2012
Aunt Dee, Thinking of you all now. Love you! Rae