Bruce Tanhoff

Bruce Warren Tanhoff passed away peacefully in his sleep November 25th, 2019 at Luther Haven Nursing Home at the age of 84.

Memorial Mass of Christian Burial will be held at 11:00 AM on Friday, December 6, 2019 at St. Joseph Catholic Church in Montevideo with Father Paul Timmerman presiding.  Burial will be in the church cemetery. 

Visitation with the family will be held on Thursday, December 5 from 5:00 - 7:00 PM at Anderson - TeBeest Funeral Home in Montevideo.  Visitation will continue one hour prior to services at the church on Friday. 

Bruce was born March 20 , 1935 to Archie and Mabel (Behm) Tanhoff in Sherburne, MN, although, he lived most of his adult life in rural Wegdahl, he  finished high school in Odessa, MN where he helped at his older brother Bob’s cafe. Bruce was a standout athlete at Odessa and was a team leader in football, basketball, baseball and even track. In football, Bruce garnered All-State Honorable mention in his sophomore and junior year (underclassmen did not qualify to make the All State Roster) and he was named the starting center for the South All State Team in his senior season although he played running back and linebacker for his nine-man school team. He was recruited by most of the Big Ten schools including Iowa, Minnesota,  Michigan as well as Notre Dame. Bruce decided to stay in close to home and play for South Dakota State. A few weeks into freshman football practice at SDSU his father passed away and Bruce returned home to help his mother with the farm. 

He met Maxine Marie Veit in May of 1959 in Brainerd, MN and they were married on  July 6th, 1959 in Watertown, South Dakota. They moved to Wegdahl, MN for a short time before moving to Brainerd, MN where Bruce bartended at the Y-Club in Garrison and helped out Maxine’s parents at their dance hall, the Green Lantern.  In 1964, they moved back to Montevideo to his childhood home where he lived until late 2018. Bruce worked several jobs mostly bartending and construction. In the early 1970's Bruce started his own construction company with his brother, Barry. They recycled cars, restored bridges, did various types of excavation, and blacktopped driveways and parking lots.  He also started Valley Fur Company Inc. in the 70's where he bought and sold furs.   In the early 1980’s both Bruce and Barry embarked on careers in the pipeline industry. They became inspectors on many pipelines mostly in the upper Midwest.

Bruce always loved the outdoors. He loved to hunt, fish and trap, but mostly hunt. He always had at least two  hunting dogs and loved their companionship.  He was a member of the Eagle’s Club, Ducks Unlimited and Pheasants Forever.  Even though he liked to ice fish Bruce was not a patient person and many times the other ice fisherman around him would find him plowing with his truck around the lake and the fisherman wondering if they were ever going to catch any fish.  He loved to socialize with friends. He was a good singer and an excellent dancer. He liked to make his coffee rounds sharing a cup of coffee with multiple people that he would stop and see each morning.  By far his greatest joy was to watch his grandsons and great-grandson participate in their sporting and school activities.  It also brought Bruce immense pleasure to be able to teach them about the outdoors.  Family will always treasure his wonderful sense of humor and big heart.  He was always willing to help a friend and even a stranger. 

Bruce is survived by his three children: Todd (Sue) Tanhoff , Mankato , Tami Tanhoff and Tracey Tanhoff,  both of Montevideo; five grandsons: Bruce Tanhoff, Rob (Michelle) Tanhoff and Connor Tanhoff all of Mankato, Adam Fossell, Montevideo and Kane (Whitney) Fossell , Marshall; great-grandson, Riley Anderson, Montevideo;  brother, Barry Tanhoff , Montevideo; brother-in-law: Jack Veit, Brainerd, and many nieces and nephews who adored their uncle Bruce.

He was preceded in death by his wife, Maxine; his parents, Archie and Mabel Tanhoff; brother, Bob Tanhoff; and sisters: Dorothy Eliason, Artie Jane Tanhoff and Rosemary Tanhoff.

The family would like to give a special thanks to Luther Haven for all the kind and caring hearts they gave to Bruce while he was living there.