age 75 of Apple Valley, passed peacefully from this life surrounded by family on Sun., Nov. 12, 2023 after a sudden illness. He was born Nov. 3, 1948 in West Allis, WI to Conrad & Elizabeth (née McCabe) Reikowski. Bruce attended UW – River Falls where he met his wife, Paulette “Polly” Gergen. They were married in Hastings, MN on Aug. 11th, 1973. In Aug. 2023 they celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary with family and friends. Bruce worked at Midwest Motor Express for over 40 yrs. He was a history buff who loved visiting Civil War battlefields. He enjoyed watching his grandchildren splashing in his backyard waterfall. He loved to travel both near and far, but he always loved coming home again more, especially if the fishing was bad. Trying new recipes and cooking old favorites for his family gave him joy. He was always game to cheer on his WI sports teams and he was a proud Eagle Scout.  Bruce is preceded in death by parents Conrad & Elizabeth and parents-in-law Paul & Lucille. He is survived by wife Paulette; daughters, Megan (Jason) and Caitlin (Raymond); grandchildren: Finnegan, Eamon, Ainsley, Soren and Ivor; brother, David; stepsister, Karen and his Gergen brothers and sisters. Visitation Mon. Nov. 20 4:00-7:00 PM, Henry W. Anderson Mortuary, 14850 Garrett Ave., Apple Valley.  Memorial Service 11:00 AM, Tues., Hosanna! Church, 9600 163rd St. W., Lakeville with visitation one hour prior and lunch to follow. Memorials preferred to UW River Falls Student Emergency Fund.