Bruce Leroy Tetzlaff

Mr. Bruce Leroy Tetzlaff, age 64 of Cobden, died at 8:11 p.m. Saturday, May 2, 2015 at his home after a brief illness. He was born December 22, 1950 in Elmhurst, Illinois, the son of Roy and Leona Kubelsky Tetzlaff.Bruce attended the College of DuPage and Southern Illinois University, where he received a B.S. in Zoology in 1974 and an M.A. in Zoology in 1980. He spent his career as a Research Project Director with the Cooperative Fisheries Research Laboratory (now the Center for Fisheries, Aquaculture, and Aquatic Sciences) at Southern Illinois University. He retired in 2005. He received his designation as Certified Fisheries Scientist from the American Fisheries Society in 1991.Bruce was very active in the U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary. He held numerous offices including Flotilla Commander, Crab Orchard Flotilla, Division 17 Vice-Captain and Captain, Rear Commodore, Eighth District Western Rivers, and Web Branch Chief, Dept. of Information and Communication Services. His service with the Auxiliary included safety and regatta patrols, boat inspections, and teaching boating safety and navigation classes. He also developed the first website for the Coast Guard Auxiliary, to provide boating safety information to Auxiliary members and to the public. For this work he was awarded the Meritorious Service Award in 1997.Bruce served as a state-wide delegate to the Conservation Congress for the Illinois Chapter of the American Fisheries Society from 1993 to 2003. For his dedication to Conservation Congress he received the Outstanding Volunteer Award from the Illinois Department of Natural Resources in 1996.Bruce is survived by his sister, Karin Rudin of Williams Bay, WI; niece, Amy (Michael) Johnson of Salem, WI; nephew, Jason Rudin of Carol Stream, IL; and former wife, Marian Kaufman of Makanda. He was preceded in death by his parents.A special thanks to good friend Sandy Kirby who was there until the end and assisted Hospice.A celebration of life for Mr. Bruce Leroy Tetzlaff will be held on Wednesday, May 20, 2015 at Rustle Hill Winery from 5-7 p.m. Memorial contributions may be made to P.A.W.S. Memorial envelopes will be made available at Rustle Hill Winery and the Rendleman & Hileman Funeral Home. Visitation Service Wednesday, May 20, 2015,5:00PM-7:00PM Rustle Hill Winery