Bruce Longley, Sr.

Bruce Jack Longley, Sr., 99, died peacefully on September 27, 2012 with his wife Jean at his side at The Forum in Peoria, Arizona. Dr. Longley (Jack) was born on July 19, 1913 in his grandparents’ farmhouse near Palmyra, Wisconsin. He was the younger of Harvey and Mabel (Hooper) Longley’s two children. Jack’s childhood was transformed at an early age when his father died unexpectedly. He and his brother Phil, along with their mother, assumed responsibility for operating the family’s dairy farm in Ottawa Township. Jack learned to drive at age 14 and made morning milk deliveries before going to school. His family raised Golden Guernseys, and sometime in the 1920s they received technical assistance from a University of Wisconsin agricultural extension professor. It was through this contact that Jack had the opportunity to attend the University of Wisconsin, where he lived in a small bedroom in the landmark University of Wisconsin Dairy Barn. He earned room and board, including all the milk he could drink, by caring for the animals. In 1934, Jack earned his Bachelor of Science degree and in 1940 he was awarded two PhDs, one in Physiology and the other in Molecular and Cellular Pharmacy, from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Two years later, he received his medical degree from the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine. Jack interned at Philadelphia General Hospital and returned to Wisconsin, where he completed his residency in General Surgery in 1947. During his career he served as Professor of Surgery, and was recruited to help found the Surgery Department of the Middleton VA Hospital in Madison, where he practiced as a general and thoracic surgeon until he retired in 1979. The other founding VA surgeon was Dr. John Mendenhall; he and Jack worked closely together over many years and were fondly called "Mutt and Jeff" by their students. Jack was an excellent teacher of the science and art of surgery, and the VA Hospital surgical service soon became a rotation favored by general surgery residents. In the late 1940s, Jack served in the US Army for two years followed by service in the US Army Reserve as Colonel and a Commander of the 44th General Hospital. In 1948, Jack married Jean Alice Larkin of Two Rivers, Wisconsin. Together they raised their family and enjoyed many memorable years in Wisconsin and later in Arizona. To everyone privileged to have known Jack, he is remembered for his kindness, humility, wisdom and dedication to the wellbeing of others. He had a delightfully wry sense of humor and never took anything or anyone, including himself, too seriously. Although he rarely hunted, he was an active member of the Winnequah Gun Club and enjoyed range shooting, Trap and Skeet, and maintaining and shooting functional muzzle loaded rifles. He was a member of the National Honor Society, Phi Beta Kappa and Alpha Omega Alpha, and was the recipient of numerous awards and medals. He was a community leader, and was active in his Church, in both Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts, in organizations supporting people with Parkinson’s Disease, and in raising scholarship funds for students to attend college. Jack is survived by his wife Jean, children Mary Frances and Bruce Jack, Jr. (Maureen Durkin), grandchildren Eric Landsness (Mebbie), Monica Sansaver (Gordy) and Serena, Alice, Michael and Martha Longley, and great grandchildren Emma Landsness and Lily Sansaver. He was predeceased by his parents and brother and, in 2005, by his cherished daughter Carolyn. A memorial service will be held at The Forum in Peoria, Arizona, at 11:00 Sunday, October 14, 2012. A funeral service will be held on Friday, November 23, 2012 at Blessed Sacrament Catholic Church in Madison, Wisconsin. The service will begin with remembrance at 11:00 AM followed by a Mass of Christian Burial celebrated by Reverend Clint Honkomp. A reception will follow. In lieu of flowers, contributions can be made to the Carolyn Longley Fund at the University of Wisconsin Foundation.