Bruce King Black

Bruce King Black, 91, of Idaho Falls and Ashton, Idaho, passed away on Friday, November 21, 2025, at Ashton Living Center with family by his side.

Bruce was born on April 19, 1934, in Price, Utah, during the Great Depression. Bruce was the fourth of six children, Don, Lorraine, Carl (deceased at 9 months old), Elaine, and Bill, born to Lloyd Harvey and Belma Emily Leonard Black. The boys in the family learned to work at a very young age to help support the family, selling newspapers on the street corners in town or at the local motels. To say that they were poor would bring pity on this family; they never wanted pity; they learned to be content, work hard, and be optimistic.

Life wasn’t easy during the Depression, but Bruce’s family got by with milk cows, chickens, fruit trees, and they sold any surplus commodities to the neighbors for extra income. Their dad worked for the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) for $1.00 per day. Before long, their dad would have a job in the developing mining industry as a foreman in Dragerton, Utah.

Although his formal education ended after a couple of years of high school, Bruce would later enlist in the Army National Guard in Utah and serve for two weeks each summer before transferring to the reserves.

When Bruce was just five years old, his mother died of cancer. Family as they knew it would never be the same. With five small children to care for, their dad sought the help of family members. Each child would be farmed out to other relatives until their dad remarried Roena Johnson Black. Roena already had children of her own, bringing the family’s total to 15 children. They moved the family to Salt Lake City, where they bought a grocery store with living quarters for some of the older children, and a house on Lake Street for Roena and her 10 children. Bruce worked hard at the store to support the now, even larger family, as three more children would be born: twins Terry and Jerry, and then Sherrie. While working at the corner grocery store, Bruce met a family down the street who would later offer him a job in their family business. It was also there that he met his future bride. Bruce married Shirley Larue Jacobsen on July 24, 1952. The marriage was later annulled because her mother objected and wanted Shirley to finish high school. After graduation, she remarried Bruce on May 28, 1954, in Salt Lake City. They would welcome four children into their family: Shellie, Mike, Susan, and Shauna.

Bruce was an enterprising person who never let a possibility pass him by. He carved a living out of opportunity and worked at many jobs, including selling insurance, cars, motor club memberships, time shares, portable toilets, coin sorters, and firewood. He was also a talent agent and booked concerts for The Sons of the Pioneers, Tommy Overstreet, and Doug Kershaw. Bruce and his wife, Shirley, bought Bear Gulch Ski Resort in Ashton, Idaho, in 1970 and ran the business until 1978. He taught all of his kids to ski. He managed Skyline Ski Area (now Pebble Creek) in 1978-79, and later managed Jackson Hole Budget Rent a Car until he retired. Bruce and Shirley started Grandma’s Ice Cream and traveled with that business, working in Quartzsite, Arizona, in the winter, and Idaho and Wyoming in the summer until 2010. After they sold Grandma’s Ice Cream, they started and operated Grandma’s Heaters and Fireplaces until Bruce suffered a stroke just days after Shirley passed away in June 2016.

Bruce and Shirley loved to travel and had visited England, Scotland, Switzerland, Germany, Holland, Austria and France. Bruce and Shirley also visited many of the 50 United States, including Hawaii, the Bahamas and two cruises to Alaska. They loved to dance and listen to big bands. Shirley and Bruce loved boating and Bruce was a good water skier. Bruce and Shirley visited Lake Powell many times; they loved camping and spending time with their family and friends.

Bruce bought a motorcycle when he was 70 years old, wandering countless miles and making memories with his daughter Susan and many friends. They visited many states, including Idaho, Wyoming, Utah, South Dakota, Colorado, and even made a couple of trips to Canada. Because of his Gypsy spirit, having him as a dad provided his children with a lot of adventures. Bruce grew up living by his character, not his bank account. His life was full of challenges, but it was also full of optimism.

Bruce is survived by three daughters, Shellie Shurtliff (Dennis) of Idaho Falls, Susan Steinman (Rudy) of Ashton, and Shauna Crofts (Rusty) of Evanston, Wyoming; 10 grandchildren; 26 great-grandchildren; and 3 great-great grandchildren.

He was preceded in death by his wife, Shirley, and a son, Michael Black.