Bruce Bothwell Obituary

Bruce Bothwell, 80, of Asbury, Iowa took his last breath on July 16, 2025 after a brief battle with cancer. As per his wishes, his body was donated to the University of Iowa Deeded Body Program. There will be no funeral services.

Bruce was born November 8, 1944, the second child of Ronald and Eva (Hill) Bothwell, joining his older brother, Lin.

Both Lin and Bruce were fortunate to have loving, nurturing parents.

They were also fortunate to grow up in genteel poverty because that taught them to respect others with little and to be kind and loving to fellow human beings.

Furthermore, their parents read to them at an early age, thus teaching them respect for literacy and education.

Bruce found learning easy and appreciated many of his elementary, junior high, high school and university teachers. That was a major reason he became certified to teach and became a teacher and remained a teacher from 1970 to 2006.

Bruce married his first love, Susan Meadowcroft. Together they had five children, Kellee, Mike, Lisa, Dave and Brett.

Not long after the marriage to Susan in 1962, Bruce joined the US Army where he spent a year learning Chinese Mandarin and the art of electronic spying and spent a year in Taiwan working in the Army Security Agency.

After his service in the army, Bruce went on to college where he majored in English and minored in Psychology and achieved his teacher's certificate. He graduated Magna Cum Laude from Weber State University. He then attended the University of Iowa where he received his Master's degree in English.

Besides teaching, Bruce also enjoyed writing and was greatly influenced by professors Wilson Thornley and Gordon Sorenson.

After marrying his second wife, Julie Rausch, he moved back to Utah for two years of teaching at Union High School in Roosevelt, Utah. He and Julie had a daughter, Katie Lynn.

He then moved back to Iowa where he finished his teaching career at Clinton High School and Lincoln Alternative School.

In the meantime, Bruce was honing his writing skills by learning to write more sophisticated poetry and prose and began self-publishing novels and non-fiction. His bibliography includes over 20 published books and the writing of over 20,000 poems.

He met and married his third and final wife, Linda, and they lived happily for 37 years until the end of Bruce's life.

Along with his six children, Bruce is survived by his wife, Linda; two stepchildren, Kris and Brett Moser and many grandchildren, step grandchildren and great grandchildren.

All told, Bruce has felt as if he has lived a good life and has achieved worthy goals and has been happy and has loved abundantly and wishes that everyone could have the joy and satisfaction he has had.

The Egelhof, Siegert and Casper Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.

Memorials may be made to Bruce Bothwell Memorial Fund.