Almeda Madge "Mitzi" Wolff Bruss' Obituary
Almeda Madge “Mitzi” Wolff Bruss passed away peacefully on Friday July 21, 2023 at the Heritage Manor Nursing Home in Mandeville, Louisiana. She went to Jesus at the age of 92 after a long battle with Alzheimer’s disease. She was a happy, loving, caring and blessed person who always had a smile on her face. She loved to laugh and sing and she was an excellent mother. Mitzi had a wonderful life with Spike and loved living and working in Chinook and felt thankful they had so many friends. She was born on November 22, 1930 in Forbes, ND to Jonathan Wolff and Madge Doris Marshall Wolff.
She is survived by three of her children, Virginia Carolyn “Ginny” (Ed) Carruthers, Douglas Jack (Joanie) Bruss, and Susan Ellen Metcalf (Gary) Tilleman.
Mitzi’s grandchildren are: Michael (Iris) Carruthers, Jeffrey (Michelle) Carruthers, Chelsey (Peter) Hughes, Bobby (Kelley) Bruss, Cory Bruss, Austin (Kayla) Bruss, Sierra (Corey) Canfield, Marshall Metcalf, Tyler (Sidnie) Metcalf. She also has ten great-grandchildren.
She is survived by five nieces: Lyn McPherson, Leslie McPherson (John) Benci, Lee Ann Brown (Skip) Loucks, Lorna Brown, Jan Bradley (Mitch) Brown, and nephew Gary Bradley.
Mitzi is survived by seven Marshall cousins from Forbes, ND: Linda (Richard) Wedell, Lee Vern (Alice) Brotherton, Mary Lee Randall, Shirley Bailey, Janice (Greg) Allen, Ronald (Erin) Hesse, Marti Hesse, and Caleb (Marjie) Estes.
The Jonathan Wolff family lived on a small farm in Forbes, ND. Mitzi was 8 years old when her sister, Luella Kay Wolff was born. Jonathan was the 12th child in his family and Madge Marshall, was from a family of nine children. Large families lived in Forbes and many relatives were in contact daily at school and church. Jonathan was very musical and played the accordian, guitar, piano and he was a great singer. Music was a focus in their lives and Mitzi learned to sing along with her dad. She graduated from high school in 1948 and the family moved to Spokane, WA in September.
In Spokane, Jonathan began a new career in home building while Mitzi started her business education at the Kinman Business University. While at Kinman, she met Spike Bruss who was also attending Kinman and it was love at first sight for both of them. They married in Spokane on April 15, 1951 and moved to Chinook to begin their wonderful lives together. They celebrated their 60th Wedding Anniversary in 2011.
Spike was in the National Guards so every year during Guard Camp, Mitzi would pack up her four children and travel on the Empire Builder train to Spokane to visit her parents for two weeks. It was the best vacation ever for Mitzi and her kids.
Mitzi was always involved in many activities. She completed many paint by number pictures, she learned to knit and crochet, she loved working on crewel embroidery projects, she was an excellent seamstress and made school clothes for Ginny and Patty, and cleaned and painted many ceramic pieces.
On Sunday mornings, Mitzi took her four children to Sunday School and she sang with Neva Blackwood, a fantastic piano player and singer, to teach the children the words to the songs they sang.
She loved cats and our family always had a cat for a pet. Biggi, Schroeder and Smokee Bear were her special cats. Jackie, our outdoor dog, was also a favorite of hers.
During their lives, Mitzi and Spike loved to dance together and were always on the dance floor if they could find a band. They also were in a square dancing club and wore the traditional square dancing uniforms and learned the calls. Those were happy days!
Mitzi and Spike learned to play bridge with Spike’s mother, Nondas Bruss and they became pretty good bridge players themselves. They also learned how to golf in Chinook and it became an obsession for them. They enjoyed going out to the golf club with their golfing friends and they never tired of it.
Spike’s retirement plan was to travel so they bought a 5th wheel RV and Mitzi supported his love to travel. They visited many states, cities and national parks. They continued traveling around in their 5th wheel RV for 17 years and golfed at many beautiful courses.
She was preceded in death by her husband, Oliver J. ”Spike” Bruss, her parents, Jonathan Wolff and Madge Doris Wolff, a daughter, Patricia “Patty” Bruss (John)Cowell, and her sister, Luella Kay “Lue” (Andrew) Bradley.
She will be missed by all who knew and loved her.
The family expresses their deepest gratitude to the care provided by St. Catherine’s Hospice. They were so helpful and knew how to support her.
The Bruss family invites you to share thoughts, fondest memories, and condolences online at E. J. Fielding Funeral Home Guest Book at www.ejfieldingfh.com.
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