Bruce Tranen Obituary

Bruce Tranen, born in 1952 in Chicago, adored and adoring husband of Jan, incomparable father of Charlie (Heather), proud Pop to William, Nathaniel, and Chloe, devoted brother to Shelley (Bob) Radin, and Amy Tranen, loving presence to David. Predeceased by beloved parents Martin and Dolores Tranen.

After graduating from New Trier in 1970, Bruce joined Vassar's first coed class of '74, where he pursued his love of Mathematics. He went on to earn an MS in Computer Science at U of Wisconsin, Madison, on a full-ride fellowship. Bruce had a successful career as a Systems Development Consultant, including 15 years as a Partner at Ernst & Young, but he always defined himself more with what he did in his free time.

While he described himself in his Instagram bio as "Cyclist, skier, Cubs fan," he was, in reality, so much more. Luckily, circumstances allowed him to retire at the age of 50, at which point he could devote his time to what he really loved: being with dear friends and family members, traveling, reading, watching sports, and staying active. The ultimate goal-setter and list-maker, he left behind copious records, activity logs, and journals of data, scores, and stats. These include scorecards from the 679 baseball games he attended. Bruce saw 448 games at Wrigley Field, watching the Cubs win 234 times (10 games over .500),.

Bruce had a lifelong love of cycling. Starting with his first cross-country bike trip in 1972, he went on to ride a lifetime total of 99,747 miles, and climbed 2.2 million feet. Bruce completed 88 century rides and spent 367 days on cycling tours in Europe and the Americas and earned membership in the Club Des Cinglés Du Mont-Ventoux .

Starting in 2011, Bruce set a goal of reading 10,000 pages per year, and by 2022, he logged 114,561 pages, including 161 of the top ranked novels of all time.

He greatly enjoyed skiing, and was able to spend 512 days skiing on 51 different mountains. Bruce ran 7 marathons in 7 states in the 1990s, and volunteered at the Chicago Marathon for many years after retirement.

He was a devoted weekly volunteer and supporter of the Lakeview pantry (now Nourishing Hope), and always with an infectious smile.

While his time was far too short, we know he made the most of the time he had.

After a private burial, services will be held at Temple Sholom in Chicago. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Temple Sholom or Nourishing Hope (formerly Lakeview Pantry) in his memory.