BRUCE DUNCAN MCKELLAR

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BRUCE DUNCAN MCKELLAR

Bruce Duncan McKellar died in British Columbia, Canada on January 9, 2021, at the age of 81.
He was the youngest of three children born to born to Earl and Lucille McKellar on August 26, 1939 in Manitoba, Canada. Bruce studied civil engineering at the University of Manitoba and in 1962 joined Northern Construction, Morrison Knudsen's Canadian subsidiary. This was the start of a decade of project work in the remote terrain of northern Canada, and a 45-year career in construction, over 40 of which were with Morrison Knudsen (MK) or its later successor, Washington Group.
From area manager for Northern Construction's Eastern Canadian operations (1973), Bruce expanded his career in the mid-1970s moving to MK's International Division. His assignments included a project in northern Algeria (1975), a multi-lane highway in Iran (1977 to 1979), and a mining infrastructure project in Papua New Guinea (1980 to 1982).
Upon returning to western Canada, Bruce ran several projects, including tunnel and hydroelectric jobs and later the 13 km Confederation Bridge in Prince Edward Island. In 1987 he relocated to the US, where project highlights included the Fort Drum military base, a container terminal at the Port of Los Angeles, a major highway interchange and new stations and infrastructure in the Los Angeles subway system, and a 760 MW pumped-storage hydroelectric facility in Georgia. Bruce was promoted to Senior Vice President of MK's Heavy Civil Group in 1992. After MK became Washington Group, Bruce continued as Senior Vice President until his retirement in 2005.
In 1991 Bruce received the Roebling Award, presented by the American Society of Civil Engineers, and the Golden Beaver Award for Supervision, presented by the Beavers association of heavy civil construction professionals in 2002.
Bruce will be remembered for his sharp wit, intelligence and creativity. He was an avid painter and prolific writer of short stories and poetry. He had a passion for music and played over a dozen instruments proficiently. Animals held a special place in Bruce's heart. Beloved pets included cats, dogs and a variety of feathered friends.
Bruce is survived by his children, Sandy (Kelly McCloskey) McKellar of Ladner, BC and Robert (Sirma) McKellar of London, England. He will be deeply missed by his children, family and close friends.

As published in Winnipeg Free Press on Mar 12, 2021