“Whatcha know?” he would ask. I reckon he wanted an answer of some kind. My rote response usually was something like, “I don’t know it.”

But this I know today: I am profoundly sad at the loss of my colleague and friend, with whom I worked for the past 15 years at the Globe-News. Bruce died last night after a valiant battle against cancer.

Bruce’s friends all across the Panhandle and beyond are processing their loss today. This one will take some time to work its way through.

I want to share this tidbit about Bruce. He used to describe himself as “perky.” He would say it out loud and actually once wrote that description into one of his columns. I hit the ceiling when I read it. “Marines aren’t ‘perky,'” I scolded Bruce. He smiled and put on a fake stern jarhead look and said, “You’re right. But what’s it to ya?” He would cut me some slack, even though I had served in the Army — which he didn’t hold against me.

Many hearts are broken today. They’ll heal over time.

This good man was a treasure. I will miss him.