Bruce H. Fornell
December 31, 1938 - January 20, 2026
OBITUARY
Bruce Harold Fornell was born the last day of the year of 1938 in rural northwest Wisconsin. His dad, Harold, was a farmer at the time and his mom, Martha, was a school teacher. In 1941 the family of three took a trip to Northern California to the Eureka area, staying with Bruce’s Aunt Priscilla with the thought of moving there when the attack on Pearl Harbor changed the course of history. The family quickly returned to Wisconsin to resume farming in support of the war effort.
In 1943 a sister, April, joined the family. Almena, Wisconsin was home to the now family of four until 1947 when the family again moved to California, this time to Stockton where Bruce continued to reside for most of his life except for a four year stint in the navy. Mom Martha’s three sisters and their families lived nearby in Stockton and Galt, and Bruce was the oldest of a tight knit pack of eight cousins who would spend weekends and holidays together with endless fun adventures.
He attended Lodi High School and Delta Community college before joining the navy where he was an electronics technician. Following his navy years he returned to Stockton and graduated with a business degree from the University of the Pacific (although then it was the College of the Pacific), and went on to have a long and successful career in Real Estate. He also did volunteer work and served on various boards over the years in the Stockton community. Throughout his life he had an interest in motorcycles and physical fitness, spending many hours in the gym. And he liked cats.
A favorite vacation spot for him and his wife Jean was to go often to Capitola on the coast. Jean passed away in 2017. Jean was born December 18, 1941 and grew up in the Stockton/Linden area loving horses and music. She was an excellent office manager for a group of medical doctors in Stockton, working long hours while enjoying her job. Jean loved shopping, giving gifts to friends and family, and buying clothes and shoes for herself. She was beautiful and always looked like a million bucks.
Bruce and Jean both had a kind side and were generous with time and money throughout their lives to help those in need, not only for charitable organizations, but also for individuals, especially in the homeless community.
Bruce has always marched to a slightly different tune than most, so he was unique and a bit of a character. He had a mind of his own and liked to live on the edge. Determination was his strong suit. He liked to be in charge, was fiercely independent, and felt he could accomplish anything he set his mind to do.
He could not win his battle with pancreatic cancer, however, and the last few months of his life were tough on him. Pancreatic cancer is what took Jean’s life as well. The beautiful Cherokee Park in Lodi California will be their final resting place together as Jean’s ashes will be buried with Bruce.
SERVICE
A graveside service will be held at 1:00pm on Tuesday, February 3, 2026 at 1:00pm at Cherokee Memorial Park, located off Highway 99 at Harney Lane, Lodi CA, 95240.
Cherokee Memorial is honored to serve the Fornell family.
Please leave your condolences below.