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StaffLife Story Funeral Director
brucebetzler@lifestorynet.com
Bruce was, in a sense, born into the funeral profession. Since birth he had watched his father, Roy Betzler, work with grieving families. That said, however, Bruce never really planned on entering the family business. No, his interests focused mainly on cars, machines that had intrigued him since the moment he set eyes on them. Even as a toddler, Bruce was fascinated by his first car - a metal red pedal car with white trim and rubber wheels.
As a child, Bruce witnessed the kind of dedication required of a funeral director. From the age of 9 to the age of 13, the Betzler family lived above the funeral home. Bruce still remembers the smell of the flowers. His father spent a lot of time at work, especially responding to last minute emergencies. It was hard for Bruce to get his hopes up about weekend trips because too often, his dad would need to stay behind to work; and sometimes, the trip would be cancelled all together.
Needless to say, these negative aspects of his father's job did not encourage Bruce to pursue the same career. After graduating from Hackett High School in 1984, he was undecided as to his course of study and attended both Ferris State and Western Michigan University. He then attended the University of Detroit, initially to study Architecture and ultimately graduated in 1990 with a degree in Communications.
After working in the Detroit advertising world for a short while, Bruce found that he missed the kind of life he had in Kalamazoo. He secured an automotive sales position in his home town in the fall of 1990, but he still found that something was missing. As fate would have it, Bruce's father soon asked him if he would be interested in coming to work for the funeral home making pre-arrangements with families. Bruce agreed to the offer, finding the experience much different than he expected.
Bruce spent a few years working on pre-arrangements with families. The experience was so positive that he decided to become a funeral director. He went back to school at Wayne State University, graduating with a degree in Mortuary Science in 1998. Having served both roles as funeral pre-arranger and funeral director, Bruce found that the wishes of the deceased rarely met the needs of the survivors.
In response to this problem, Bruce has made it his mission to discuss the issue with those who pre-arrange their deaths, allowing them to give specific permission to their surviving family members to make purposeful decisions once death occurs. Bruce realizes that a family only has one opportunity to have a meaningful remembrance and that he has the great responsibility of making this experience as significant as possible.
Bruce says Life Story Network® has helped him to better fulfill his responsibilities: "Life Story Network® has created a process that speaks to the real reason why people should seek us [as funeral directors] out . . . to create a meaningful way of remembering someone." Simply put, Bruce says, "There is not a better way of honoring a person than with the Life Story Service® ."
Though he never would have believed it as a child, Bruce Betzler has found a satisfying place in the family business. Nevertheless, one idea from childhood has stuck with him; he still spends much of his free time enjoying cars. He has been a member of the BMW Car Club of America since 1988, and in 2002 he competed in the Cannonball Run One Lap of America with his brother, Scott. He also enjoys the game of golf, including an appreciation for golf course design. In the winter, he enjoys downhill skiing and is a certified instructor. He has volunteered his time as the Chapter Advisor for the Sigma Chi Fraternity at Western Michigan University since 1993, and lives with his wife, Sharon in Oshtemo Township. Together they share their home with their cat, Cramer, and their dog, Dylan.
As a child, Bruce witnessed the kind of dedication required of a funeral director. From the age of 9 to the age of 13, the Betzler family lived above the funeral home. Bruce still remembers the smell of the flowers. His father spent a lot of time at work, especially responding to last minute emergencies. It was hard for Bruce to get his hopes up about weekend trips because too often, his dad would need to stay behind to work; and sometimes, the trip would be cancelled all together.
Needless to say, these negative aspects of his father's job did not encourage Bruce to pursue the same career. After graduating from Hackett High School in 1984, he was undecided as to his course of study and attended both Ferris State and Western Michigan University. He then attended the University of Detroit, initially to study Architecture and ultimately graduated in 1990 with a degree in Communications.
After working in the Detroit advertising world for a short while, Bruce found that he missed the kind of life he had in Kalamazoo. He secured an automotive sales position in his home town in the fall of 1990, but he still found that something was missing. As fate would have it, Bruce's father soon asked him if he would be interested in coming to work for the funeral home making pre-arrangements with families. Bruce agreed to the offer, finding the experience much different than he expected.
Bruce spent a few years working on pre-arrangements with families. The experience was so positive that he decided to become a funeral director. He went back to school at Wayne State University, graduating with a degree in Mortuary Science in 1998. Having served both roles as funeral pre-arranger and funeral director, Bruce found that the wishes of the deceased rarely met the needs of the survivors.
In response to this problem, Bruce has made it his mission to discuss the issue with those who pre-arrange their deaths, allowing them to give specific permission to their surviving family members to make purposeful decisions once death occurs. Bruce realizes that a family only has one opportunity to have a meaningful remembrance and that he has the great responsibility of making this experience as significant as possible.
Bruce says Life Story Network® has helped him to better fulfill his responsibilities: "Life Story Network® has created a process that speaks to the real reason why people should seek us [as funeral directors] out . . . to create a meaningful way of remembering someone." Simply put, Bruce says, "There is not a better way of honoring a person than with the Life Story Service® ."
Though he never would have believed it as a child, Bruce Betzler has found a satisfying place in the family business. Nevertheless, one idea from childhood has stuck with him; he still spends much of his free time enjoying cars. He has been a member of the BMW Car Club of America since 1988, and in 2002 he competed in the Cannonball Run One Lap of America with his brother, Scott. He also enjoys the game of golf, including an appreciation for golf course design. In the winter, he enjoys downhill skiing and is a certified instructor. He has volunteered his time as the Chapter Advisor for the Sigma Chi Fraternity at Western Michigan University since 1993, and lives with his wife, Sharon in Oshtemo Township. Together they share their home with their cat, Cramer, and their dog, Dylan.
