Bruce D. Dorbeck

Published 12:00 am Sunday, December 20, 2015

Bruce D. Dorbeck, 81, formerly of East Moline, Ill., Vicksburg and Tallulah, La., passed away on Thursday, Dec. 17, 2015, in Memphis after a lengthy illness.

A Mass will be said at 10 a.m., Tuesday, Dec. 29, 2015, at Sacred Heart Catholic Church, 1307 17th Ave., in Moline, where he formerly was a parishioner.  Entombment will follow immediately at St. Mary’s Cemetery, 2301 3rd St., in East Moline, with DeRoo Funeral Home in charge.

DORBECK

A memorial service in Vicksburg will be at a later date.

Memorials may be made to Catholic Charities, the National Kidney Foundation or the American Cancer Society.

Bruce was born in Moline on June 29, 1934, the son of Herbert and Pauline Rekiere Dorbeck. He married Janet Louise Anderson on May 18, 1957, in Moline.

After graduation from Moline High School, Bruce joined the U.S. Marine Corps and was stationed in San Diego, Calif. A portion of his 3½ years in the Corps was spent in South Korea.  He remained an active Marine until 1961, but said throughout his life, “Once a Marine, always a Marine. To the end! (Semper Fi)”

After serving his country, he returned home to Moline and began work in a business that became Dorbeck’s Phillip’s 66. In 1975, Bruce and Wendell “Buzz” Moore partnered in a company called East Moline Wholesale. They relocated the business to East Moline Industrial Park and renamed it BarJan Products. Bruce sold his portion of the company in 1982 and moved to Tallulah in 1983. In Tallulah, he opened Unocal Truck Stop and a second truck location in West Memphis, Ark.

Bruce loved to fish and, with a couple of friends, bought a marina in Georgetown, S.C.

He participated in many local events in Tallulah, with the most dear to his heart being the annual Toys for Tots golf tournament. For more than 20 years, he and close friend Mike Cummins and others were involved in the tournament that raised money for less fortunate children in Madison Parish. All of the money was spent in the local community to help local businesses; and the purchases were distributed by the Madison Parish Sheriff’s Department and the Tallulah Police Department. He also was passionate about and involved with the church he loved, St. Edward’s Catholic Church of Tallulah.

In addition to his parents, Bruce was preceded in death by his wife of 38 years, Janet L. Dorbeck; and one brother, Richard Dorbeck.

Bruce is survived by his daughter, Mary Kimberly Griffin(Stanley) of West Memphis; and two sons, Kyle Dorbeck (Deann) of Tallulah and Tod Dorbeck (Jan) of Vicksburg; his brother, Mark Dorbeck (Margaret) of Moline, Ill.; 21 grandchildren; and three great-grandchildren.