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Obituary of Donovan Rudolph Broucek
Donovan Rudolph Broucek, beloved husband, father, brother, uncle, grandfather, and great friend of Peoria, AZ, passed away on February 20, 2024, at the age of 87.
He was born in Mahnomen, MN on April 14, 1936, to Rudolph and Helen (Paul) Broucek. He was raised on a small farm and attended grade school in Mahnomen. He enlisted in the Air Force in October of 1957, and attended basic training at Lackland AFB and training at Chanute AFB before being assigned to Ellsworth AFB in South Dakota. During his enlistment he spent one year in Thailand and two and a half years in Guam. After more than 20 years of service, he retired from the Air Force as a Senior Master Sergeant (E-8) in March of 1978. After retiring from the Air Force, he worked at Ace Hardware Westside in Rapid City, SD. He retired from Ace Hardware full time in 1998 and continued to work part time until 2007.
During his time at Ellsworth AFB, he met Lorraine Merkel and they married on June 12, 1964, and they had two children. Lorraine passed away from cancer in December of 1993. On October 28, 1995, he and his longtime friend Sally Craig were married. They traveled extensively to many places in the United States, Europe, and the Philippines. In 2011 they moved to Foley, AL where they lived until moving to Peoria, AZ in March of 2022, where he lived until his passing.
A lifetime member of TREA, VFW and DAV, he also enjoyed fishing and is believed to be the only man to have filleted over a million sunfish. He also enjoyed jigsaw puzzles, except the two-sided ones, playing cards, often other people’s hands, and playing golf, left-handed for some reason.
He is preceded in death by his parents, Rudy and Helen, and wife, Lorraine.
He is survived by his wife, Sally; daughter, Robin (Mike Miller); son, Brian; brother, Bob (Pam); and sisters, Dorothy Andring, Maryann Kochmann, and Kathy (Steve Kemper); as well as grandchildren, Josh and Katawni Miller; stepchildren, Scheri, Steve and Scott; and numerous nieces and nephews.
There are no services per his request. Please make any memorial contributions to one of the many charities he supported are such as Make-a-Wish, St. Jude, or another charity of your choice.
