Obituary for Bruce K Hudspeth
Bruce Hudspeth was born in Corvallis, Oregon and grew up in many of the Western States. This backdrop forever left a mark in his heart as a boy of the West, even though he eventually travelled or lived in all seven continents of the world.
After high school, Bruce enlisted in the U.S. Army during the Vietnam war era. Because he tested exceptionally highly in language ability, he was trained to be an Intelligence Voice Interceptor in Russian. This earned him recognition as a Cold War Warrior during the sixties. After his four-year army stint he returned to the U.S. as a young father supporting a growing family and working towards a B.S. degree in Mathematics at Arizona State University. His jobs and occupations were many and eclectic: They included at various times being a small-business craftsman, a full-time Las Vegas gambler (what better use of a math degree!), a geophysical analyst, and a Boulder bus driver.
Then at the end of the eighties, newly remarried, he took a series of tests “just for fun” (his words) and was selected to be the small percentile (1%) of applicants invited to join the State Department as a U.S. Diplomat. Accompanied by his wife, Vala, he served in Almaty Kazakhstan, Uruguay, Ukraine, Taiwan, Shenyang China, Beijing China, Astana Kazakhstan, as well as doing temporary duty in numerous other countries.
His love of different cultures and languages served him well. A gifted linguist he mastered Mandarin Chinese while in his fifties, considered particularly difficult by experts. With his fluency in Spanish, Russian, German, and proficiency in other languages--not the least of which was his wife’s native Ukrainian--he enjoyed the international life he had only dreamed of in his youth.
His passions included playing basketball, fierce philosophy debates, and maneuvering spirited chess games with aficionados in different countries.
He is survived by his wife, Vala; children (and their spouses) Corie (Stephanie); Daen (Brandi); Aron; Eric (Loryn); April. His grandchildren are Ryan, Jaren, Dexter, Noa. His sisters are Kathie and Jean.
The cause of death was complications from Type 2 Diabetes. As is fitting for someone who always, wherever he travelled, thought of himself as a man of the West, Bruce’s ashes will be scattered in Monument Valley, the place he considered to be his true spiritual home.
A Memorial Service will be held at Greenwood & Myers Mortuary in Boulder on Saturday, October 22, 2022 at 2 p.m.
After high school, Bruce enlisted in the U.S. Army during the Vietnam war era. Because he tested exceptionally highly in language ability, he was trained to be an Intelligence Voice Interceptor in Russian. This earned him recognition as a Cold War Warrior during the sixties. After his four-year army stint he returned to the U.S. as a young father supporting a growing family and working towards a B.S. degree in Mathematics at Arizona State University. His jobs and occupations were many and eclectic: They included at various times being a small-business craftsman, a full-time Las Vegas gambler (what better use of a math degree!), a geophysical analyst, and a Boulder bus driver.
Then at the end of the eighties, newly remarried, he took a series of tests “just for fun” (his words) and was selected to be the small percentile (1%) of applicants invited to join the State Department as a U.S. Diplomat. Accompanied by his wife, Vala, he served in Almaty Kazakhstan, Uruguay, Ukraine, Taiwan, Shenyang China, Beijing China, Astana Kazakhstan, as well as doing temporary duty in numerous other countries.
His love of different cultures and languages served him well. A gifted linguist he mastered Mandarin Chinese while in his fifties, considered particularly difficult by experts. With his fluency in Spanish, Russian, German, and proficiency in other languages--not the least of which was his wife’s native Ukrainian--he enjoyed the international life he had only dreamed of in his youth.
His passions included playing basketball, fierce philosophy debates, and maneuvering spirited chess games with aficionados in different countries.
He is survived by his wife, Vala; children (and their spouses) Corie (Stephanie); Daen (Brandi); Aron; Eric (Loryn); April. His grandchildren are Ryan, Jaren, Dexter, Noa. His sisters are Kathie and Jean.
The cause of death was complications from Type 2 Diabetes. As is fitting for someone who always, wherever he travelled, thought of himself as a man of the West, Bruce’s ashes will be scattered in Monument Valley, the place he considered to be his true spiritual home.
A Memorial Service will be held at Greenwood & Myers Mortuary in Boulder on Saturday, October 22, 2022 at 2 p.m.