Memorial is on Sunday, January 17th, 2016, beginning 2:00 P.M., at Gilroy Presbyterian Church, 6000 Miller Ave. Reception follows in Fellowship Hall. Rolf requested donations, in lieu of flowers, be made to: Save the PT Boat, Inc., P.O. Box 13422, Portland, OR 97213 to build a Waterfront Heritage Museum. Donations are tax deductible to this 501(c)(3) non-profit organization.
Rolf Bruckner, 93, passed away peacefully November 25th, 2015, in Placerville, CA.
He is survived by son, Eric Bruckner of Gilroy, daughter, Susanna and Ken Pohl of Placerville and in-laws Bob and Dorothy Daw of Santa Ana. He leaves grandchildren, great-grandchildren, nephews, nieces and lifelong friends.
He married Elizabeth in 1946 (deceased 2014) and they raised Susanna, Eric and Kurt (deceased 2007).
During his career, he was a Contractor, Sheet Metal Instructor at Department of Corrections and Counselor/Dean of Vocational Education at Gavilan College.
Petty Officer 1st Class Bruckner served aboard PT 127 in WWII during combat in Surigoa Strait in 1944. In Korea, he ran the metal shop on Guam. In 1994, he and twelve grey-haired PT Boat Veterans went to work in Portland, Oregon to transform PT 658 into the only fully operational PT boat in the world. After 13+ years and thousands of volunteer hours, it was christened and launched.
