Obituaries

Bruce Murchland LaRue

Bruce Murchland LaRue, 84, of Steubenville, Ohio, husband of Helen LaRue died Sunday, March 8, 2009 in Chicago, IL.  He was born August 23, 1924 in Follansbee, WV a son of the late Frank and Lulu Murchland LaRue. 

Bruce graduated from Follansbee High School in 1942 and enlisted in the US Army during WW II and was deployed to Normandy.  After returning home from his service with the Army he graduated from the University of Pittsburgh with a Bachelor of Science degree in Chemistry.  He married his wife of 58 years, Helen Katherine Johnson LaRue, on May 26, 1950. 

He began his employment with National Steel Corporation in 1948 as a special analyst at Weirton Steel Division.  He became assistant spectographer in 1952, spectographer in 1953 and was named senior research chemist at the National Steel Research Center in 1962.  Bruce assumed the position of supervisor in the Research and Development Department of National Steel Corporation in 1967, where he worked until retiring in 1986.

  Bruce’s professional affiliations included the American Society for Metals; American Society for Testing Materials; American Institute of Physics; Optical Society of America; America Institute for Chemists of which he was admitted as Fellow in 1968; Society for Applied Spectroscopy of which he served as National President in 1968; Spectroscopy Society of Pittsburgh (SSP) of which he was past chairman in 1963; American Chemical Society Pittsburgh Section (ACS) where he received the prestigious Pittsburgh Award in 1991 and served as past chairman in 1987; the Society for Analytical Chemistry of Pittsburgh (SACP) of which he was past president and The Pittsburgh Conference on Analytical Chemistry and Applied Spectroscopy (PITTCON) of which he served as Past President in 1965.

Bruce was a lifelong member of First United Presbyterian Church/First Westminster Presbyterian Church in Steubenville where he served many positions including elder, clerk and deacon.  He was active in YMCA; Y’s Men’s Club; Steubenville Masonic Lodge #45; Valley of Steubenville Scottish Rite; York Rite; Aladdin Shrine, Columbus, OH; Steubenville Shrine Club; a 60 year member of American Legion Post 45, Follansbee, WV and the Fort Steuben Area Council Boy Scouts of America where he was awarded the Silver Beaver in 1959 and the Silver Antelope in 1974 and was the former Fort Steuben Area Council President from 1969 - 1973.  He was a life member of the National Eagle Scout Association (NESA). 

Preceding Bruce in death was his son-in-law George Barnes.  Surviving are his wife Helen Johnson LaRue; two daughters Mary Barnes of Amsterdam, OH and Martha (Philip) Jordan of Lansdale, PA; son John LaRue of Columbia, MD; two granddaughters Katherine and Caroline Jordan of Lansdale, PA and brother Dale (Eleanor) LaRue of Steubenville, OH. Friends may call at Shorac Funeral Home (the former McClave Funeral Home), 611 North 4th Street, Steubenville Friday 1 - 4 & 6 - 8 p.m. and at First Westminster Church on Saturday from 10 a.m. until the time of service at 11 a.m. with Rev. Robert Shearer officiating. Burial at St. John Cemetery, Follansbee, WV. 

Date of Death: March 8, 2009