Dr. Bruce A. Craswell died in his sleep on June 4, in Bremerton, at the age of 84. Bruce was preceded in death by his wife, Ellen Craswell, and by his sister, Clarice Hawes of Seattle. He is survived by two other siblings, Keith Craswell of Bellingham and Bernice Comstock of Poulsbo, and by his four children (Dick Craswell, Palo Alto, California; Jim Craswell, Sammamish, Washington; Patty Johnson, Waddell, Arizona; and Jill Solano, McKinney, Texas). Bruce was also blessed with 14 grandchildren and 9 great-grandchildren, as well as a much-loved assortment of extended family and friends.
Bruce was born in Kent, Washington, but his family soon moved to Kitsap County, settling first in Waterman and then in Port Orchard, where he graduated from South Kitsap High School in 1949. He took classes for a year at Olympic College in Bremerton, then transferred to the University of Washington, where he graduated from dental school in 1955.
While he was in college, Bruce had the good fortune to meet Ellen Howe, also a University of Washington student, at a social gathering. They went on their first date (a blind date, arranged by Ellen’s sorority sisters) on December 31, 1951. Just over a year later, Bruce proposed, and they married on November 25, 1953. Their marriage was a joyous partnership that lasted almost 55 years, ending only when Ellen passed away in 2008.
In 1955, though, when Bruce graduated from Washington, he had a new dental degree, a new wife, and an even newer firstborn son (Dick, who arrived in October 1954). Bruce’s first three years as a dentist were spent in the U.S. Air Force, providing dental services to military personnel and their families stationed on remote Air Force bases in the upper midwest and Canada. “Fighting the Cold War by fighting tooth decay” was how Bruce later jokingly described his service. His home station during those years was in Minneapolis, where his next two children (Jim and Patty) were born.
Eventually, in 1958, Bruce received his honorable discharge from the Air Force and returned to Kitsap County to begin his own dental practice. He bought a house overlooking Dyes Inlet just a few doors down from the house where Ellen had grown up, and where Ellen’s mother still lived. Ruth Longmate (one of Ellen’s sisters) lived with her own family just one house further up the bay. One effect of this arrangement was that it provided instant family gatherings for holidays and whenever anyone wanted one, especially whenever cousins from other parts of Puget Sound came to visit. This was when Bruce’s youngest child (Jill) was born.
To say that Bruce flourished in this setting would be a serious understatement. His dental practice grew, but he always found time for camping, hiking, boating, water skiing, playing cards, and any number of other activities. He built an outdoor ping pong table in his back yard, made of (what else?) cement. He built a cable swing (sort of an early zip line) from a tree house to the bluff overlooking the beach, matching a similar swing that had been built at the Longmate’s. Bruce also built a 20-foot wooden slide running from the top of the bluff to the beach. He also built secret passages through the attic of his house, entered through concealed panels or by swinging open one side of an apparently solid bookcase.
Later, those of us who grew up during these years would realize that most other families were less eccentric in their domestic arrangements. Fortunately, though, that realization never stopped Bruce. At the time, it all seemed perfectly normal!
The 1960s also saw the beginning of Bruce’s (and Ellen’s) involvement in politics. In the early 1960s Bruce worked on the legislative campaign of a friend, Don Thompson. He later served as the Kitsap County campaign director for Governor Dan Evans, and (later still) as Kitsap County Republican Party chairman. Bruce was also active in civic affairs, from the Silverdale Rotary Club to the Central Kitsap School Board, the Olympic College Board of Trustees, and the Kitsap County Board of Freeholders. Bruce remained an avid hiker and mountain climber, and was for many years a member of Olympic Mountain Rescue.
In 1974, Bruce ran for the state legislature, losing narrowly by just 200 votes out of 23,000 votes cast. He considered waiting two years to make another run at the same office, but in 1975 a different opportunity arose. In that year, Bruce gave up his dental practice to help run the Washington Dental Service, a prepaid dental insurance plan that was then being organized by the Washington State Dental Association. Bruce didn’t lose his interest in politics, serving in 1980 as Deputy to King County Executive Ronald Dunlap, and later as Deputy to King County Assessor Harley Hoppe. Meanwhile, in 1976 Ellen had been elected to the state legislature to start her own political career – a career in which Bruce was always at her side.
1980 brought another change when Bruce (and, soon afterwards, Ellen) accepted Jesus Christ as their savior. Their political activities now centered less on the Republican party, and more on supporting their vision of Christian principles and Christian candidates. After Ellen’s campaign for governor in 1996, Bruce and Ellen both left the Republican party. Bruce would run for office one more time, seeking a U.S. Congressional seat in 1998. In that campaign Bruce represented the American Heritage Party, and finished third behind both major party candidates.
In later years, Bruce’s health began to limit his physical activities, especially after one of his legs had to be amputated. Nevertheless, he remained surprisingly mobile, even when confined to a wheelchair. He was mentally sharp, and continued to play duplicate bridge, hearts, and “chicken feet” dominoes. He enjoyed being with friends and family, and his sense of humor stayed intact as well. After his leg was amputated, Bruce did not hesitate to reply to any argument by asking (with a smile), “Are you saying I don’t have a leg to stand on?”
That was Bruce.
Note: Bruce’s ashes will be scattered in a small ceremony to be held by his surviving children. No other memorial service is scheduled, and the family requests that you respect their privacy in this regard. Instead, you are enthusiastically invited to supply your own stories or reminiscences about Bruce (and to read those supplied by others) in the online guestbook here.