November 13, 1936 – December 9, 2023
Grass Valley, California – Bruce Bolinger, Nevada County Clerk-Recorder from 1980-1998, passed away on December 9. Born Nov. 13, 1936 in Madison, Wisconsin, he was the son of Dwight Bolinger and Louise Schrynemakers.
While living in Los Angeles he taught political science, worked in political campaigns, and served on two citizens committees, one to revise the Los Angeles County Charter and another to select a new county voting system. From 1973-75 he was legislative assistant to Congressman George Brown, Jr. in Washington, D.C. From 1975 and until 1979 he was a consultant to the state legislature with responsibility for revising and modernizing California’s election laws and analyzing all newly proposed election laws. In 1977 his history of California election law was published by West’s Publishing Co.
During the 1980 decennial census he was the district manager for the US Census Bureau. Following the census he was appointed Nevada County Clerk-Recorder by the Board of Supervisors and subsequently elected four times. Over the next 18 years he administered nearly two dozen countywide elections and modernized the Clerk-Recorder’s office. He was active in the California Association of Clerks and Elections Officials and served on its Elections Legislation Committee.
Bruce served as president of the Nevada County Historical Society and the Nevada County Genealogical Society, was on the board of the Literacy Council, and was a member of the Sierra College site-selection committee.
During retirement, Bruce researched WWII escape lines used by Allied airmen shot down over Nazi-occupied countries. He was webmaster of the Air Forces Escape and Evasion Society.
He is survived by Charlotte, his wife of 43 years and Charlotte’s three daughters, Susan McKinney, Lynn Phelan, and Ann McKinney, as well as grand children Haley, Allison, and Kelly. He is survived by his sister Ann McClure of Aberdeen, Scotland, and her husband, Derrick, and three nephews, Bruce and his wife Sarah of Exeter, England and their daughters Ada and Vari; Ewan of Gatehouse of Fleet, Scotland; and Alan and his wife Michelle, also of Gatehouse of Fleet, Scotland and their two sons, Fergus and Robin.
His remains have been cremated and will be scattered at Deer Creek Cemetery by the family. A celebration of life will be held at a future date.