Bruce Crockett, age 81, of Mitchell, died Saturday, March 10, 2007, at Oakview Terrace in Freeman, SD. A Celebration of Life Service will be held at 10:30 AM on Saturday, March 17 at the First Reformed Church in Mitchell. Will Funeral Chapel is in charge of the arrangements. Bruce E. Crockett, son of William Perry Crockett and Hattie Belle (Irvine) Crockett, was born October 10, 1925 in Chicago, Illinois. He graduated from Valparaiso High School in Valparaiso, Indiana in 1943. He attended Lincoln Memorial University in Cumberland Gap, Tennessee for one year. After a short stint in the Air force in Texas during WW II, he followed his coach, Ray Green, to Dakota Wesleyan University to play basketball. He met Ellen M. Hegvold at DWU and they married on August 8, 1949 in Letcher, SD. Bruce lived most of his life in Mitchell, South Dakota where he was a teacher, coach, High School principal, and bus contractor. He owned and operated LAccent in Rapid City as well as Uncle Zekes in Mitchell. He taught and coached in Letcher, Emery, Lake Andes, Pickstown, and Gregory in South Dakota. He refereed basketball all over the state and at state tournaments. He enjoyed serving on the Board of Control of the SD High School Activities Association. During his retirement years, he spent several winters in Mesa, Arizona. He lived in West Hills Village in Rapid City, SD from 2004-2006 spending summers at his home at Lake Mitchell. He entered Edgewood Vista in Sioux Falls in August, 2006. He moved to Oakview Terrace in Freeman, SD in December where he passed away on March 10, 2007. In college, Bruce was active in several sports including track, and baseball, but his true passion was basketball. He passed the love of basketball on to several of his grandchildren. He enjoyed hunting, fishing, camping, travel and golf. His children and grandchildren shared many of these activities with him. Grateful for having shared his life are his wife, Ellen Crockett, Mitchell, SD; five children, Barbara Doshier and her husband, Steve, Rapid City, SD; Rex Crockett and his wife, Mary Liz, Mitchell, SD; Paul Crockett and his wife, Luanne, Camarillo, CA; Mary Krall and her husband, Jon, Burnsville, MN; Janet Bleeker and her husband, Gregg, Mitchell, SD. His very special grandchildren include: Laura, Anne and Drew Doshier; Tom, Sam, and Michael Crockett; Ross and Brett Crockett; Peter, Katie, Joe, and Ben Krall and Adam and Ellie Bleeker. He was preceded in death by three brothers, Forest, James and Bill and his parents. Memorials can be directed to the Bruce Crockett Memorial Fund, c/o Oakview Terrace, Alzheimers Unit, PO Box 370, Freeman, SD 57029 or to Ellen Crockett at PO Box 142, Mitchell, SD 57301.