Bruce Emmett Snelson was born on February 5, 1939, to Ben Emmett Snelson and Maxine Vigi in Trinidad, Colorado. At age seventeen, he joined the Navy where he would serve for six years.  He married Joann Curtis in 1961.  They settled in Leadville, CO, where Bruce worked in the Molybdenum mines.  Bruce and Joann moved to Denver to complete his education at the Academy of Colorado State Patrol.  This would be the beginning of a long career in law enforcement.

Bruce and Joann would welcome two sons, Kevin and Bret.  They settled their family in Fort Morgan, CO, where they would spend the rest of their lives. During those years, they would welcome three grandsons and two great grandchildren.

Bruce had a love for dogs, specifically the English Bulldog.  He had several bulldogs over the span of his life.  He was kept company by his current female bulldog named Doobie, who was by his bedside when he passed away.

He was an active member of the Masonic Lodge for 60 years.  He was a sixth generation Mason and held the office of Grand Tiler.

His career in law enforcement included highway patrol, working for the Sheriff's department where he served a term as Morgan County Undersheriff. He later worked as a prison guard where he concluded his career in law enforcement.

He was an avid collector of trains, coins, taxidermy mounts and firearms.  At age eighty-six, he still qualified for a retired law enforcement concealed handgun permit and act as a special deputy.

Bruce will be remembered fondly for his off-color sense of humor and outlandish stories.

He is survived by his son, Kevin Snelson; three grandsons, Brandon (Natasha) Snelson, Brody Snelson, and Ben Snelson; two great grandchildren, Levi Snelson and Riley Jo Snelson; several nieces and nephews and their families; and his daughters-in-law, Betty Snelson and Marybeth Jordak.

He was preceded in death by his wife, Joann and his son, Bret.

Funeral service will be Saturday, February 7th at 10:00 a.m. at the Heer Mortuary Chapel in Fort Morgan, CO with Masonic Rites performed by Oasis Lodge #67 AF & AM. Interment will follow in Memory Gardens Cemetery in Fort Morgan.

Donations should be designated to Fort Morgan Humane Society.