April 16, 2026

Linn County News

Published April 22, 2026

Bruce Lynn Jeffers, age 69, of rural Centerville, Kan., and recently from the Kansas Veteran’s Home in Winfield, Kan., passed away on April 12, 2026, from a prolonged traumatic brain injury incurred very likely from poison ivy smoke from a wildfire in April 2011.

Born on Jan. 30, 1957, in Manhattan, Kan., Bruce was a great brother, son and friend to many in his several positions and hobbies. He had a passion for photography and frequently provided photos of Shrine and Masonic activities around Kansas. Prior to his injury he worked as a 9-1-1 Dispatcher for the Linn County Sheriff's Department, was a Volunteer Firefighter with the Centerville Kansas Volunteer Fire Department and he was actively working on certification as an Emergency Medical Technician.

Bruce’s other interests included being a Master Mason and he was a Past Master of Lotus Masonic Lodge #286 in Blue Mound, Kansas. He transferred to Mound City Lodge #33 when the two Lodges merged. Bruce became a Master Mason at Tustin Lodge #828 in California while serving in the Navy. He was a 32-degree Scottish Rite Mason and a Knight Commander of the Court of Honor (32 K.C.C.H) and member of the Scottish Knights of St. Andrew in the Valley of Fort Scott, now the Valley of Southeast Kansas and was active in the several degrees and worked with the Stage Crew. He joined the Scottish Rite Masons in Long Beach, Calif., while in the U.S. Navy. He was a Shriner, having started with the Al Malaikah Shrine in Los Angeles, Calif., and transferring to Mirza Shrine in Pittsburg, Kan., where he was a member of the Legion of Honor as a Military Veteran, and used his photography skills to provide memories of Shrine Bowl Games, parades, and numerous other activities.

Bruce joined the United States Navy on July 9, 1976, and became an Air Traffic Controller serving on three different aircraft carriers, the U.S.S. Saratoga, CV-60; the U.S.S. Kittyhawk, CV-63; and the U.S.S. Nimitz, CVN-68 a nuclear aircraft carrier. He was honorably discharged as an E-6 Aircraft Controller First Class (AC1) on July 31, 1996, and retired after serving 20 years, and moved to Centerville Kan., to live with his parents.

Bruce Jeffers is survived by his sister Kathy Brown and her husband Dennis; brother Keith Jeffers and his wife Liz; and many nieces, nephews, cousins, and aunts. He was preceded in death by his mother Nadine Jeffers (Johnson) in 2007; his father George Jeffers in 2019; a sister, Karen Manning, in 2021; and a brother, Gale Jeffers, in 2025.

A graveside service including the Masonic Funeral Service and Military Honors will be held on Friday, April 24, 2026, starting at 1:30 p.m. at the Fort Scott National Cemetery, 900 East National Avenue, Fort Scott, Kan. 66701. The Southeast Kansas Firefighters Honor Guard will provide Honors and Pallbearer services.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Centerville Volunteer Fire District 1 – Station 930 care of the Linn County Emergency Management.