ALFRED “BRUCE” KASTEN, 83, died on Sunday, September 20, 2020, with his family by his side in Colorado Springs, CO.
Bruce was born on December 19, 1936 in Chicago, Illinois and grew up playing on the shores of Lake Forest just outside of Chicago. He was the second child to Alfred and Gladys (Fischer) Kasten and brother to his sister Joan (Kasten) Troth. He graduated from Ela Vernon High School in Lake Zurich, Illinois in 1955. After graduating from high school, Bruce and his family moved to Manitou Springs, CO. He attended Colorado College and studied geology. Studying geology is what let him to his love of rock climbing which took him on several adventures to Mexico as well as climbing several of the rocks in Garden of the Gods. In August of 1958 he entered the United States Air Force (USAF), where he proudly served for a short time.
Bruce returned to the Colorado Springs area after his time in the Air Force and went to work for his uncle in the Tax Accounting business. Working with numbers suited him well and he learned the tax business ins and outs, gradually building his client base. In 1964 Bruce, and his then wife, Judy, opened and operated a tax accounting business under E.K. Williams and Company. Then in 1977 he opened his own tax accounting business, A. B. Kasten Accounting which he successfully ran in Colorado Springs until 1987 when he decided that he was tired of the cold and shoveling snow and wanted to move to a warmer climate. He picked Las Vegas, NV where he lived until 2006. Longing for a quieter life Bruce moved to Crystal, NV, a small town about an hour north of Vegas and continued his tax accounting business in Pahrump, NV until July of 2020. In August of 2020, Bruce moved back to Colorado Springs, CO to be closer to his children and grandchildren.
Bruce was always a big fan of Westerns and the cowboy way of life, with John Wayne being his all-time favorite actor. Back in the day, he and his father, Al Kasten would perform in gun fights at Buckskin Joe’s theme park near Canon City, CO. Those times he shared with his dad were some of his favorite memories.
It was his love of the old west, guns and cowboys that brought him to join the El Dorado Cowboys Shooters Club in Las Vegas, NV. Shado, as his Cowboy friends knew him, would compete for prestige on a course of different shooting stages with firearms, typical of those used in the Old West, he earned multiple awards and honors for the quickest draw and accuracy. After a day of competition, there was nothing he liked better to do with his friends than to end the day with a cold drink of whiskey or a gin martini.
Bruce is survived by his children, Joel Kasten (Lynn), Lori (Kasten) Fritz, Kelli (Kasten) Kruger, Tracy Kasten and Cory Kasten (Bianca) and his sister, Joan (Kasten) Troth. He will be forever loved and remembered by his 9 grandchildren, Joshua, Megan, Jesse, Katelyn (Trey), Daniel (Ashlyn), Kersten, Kyler, Logan and Lauryn. Nephew and niece Lisa (Brian) Sholten and Jason Kannon
Bruce is preceded in death by his parents, Alfred and Gladys Kasten.
The family will be holding a small private celebration of his life in the Colorado Mountains the weekend of October 24, 2020.
“Say not in grief ‘he is no more’ but in thankfulness that He was”
~Hebrew Proverbs
Gordon Floyd
28 Sep 2020Sorry for your loss. My thoughts go out to all of you!
Jolie Owen
29 Sep 2020Tracy, wishing peace, prayers, and love to you and your family. What a loss and I am so sorry.
Dolores (Dee) Taylor
25 Oct 2020My sincerest sympathy to all of Bruce ‘ s family & friends. I worked with Bruce at his office in Las Vegas from 1992 to 1997. The last time I spoke to him was during tax season 2020. I will miss him.
Kelli Kasten-Kruger
17 Nov 2020Hi Dee,
I remember you well. Thank you for your kind words. It is very much appreciated.
Respectfully,
Kelli Kasten-Kruger
David E Peck
2 Nov 2020Sorry to hear of your loss as Bruce and I were longtime Poker playing friends which started when we were in the Air Force Reserve stationed at the Denver Federal Center. We were a brand new outfit and took time to get personell so we would set and play poker and sometimes they got heated. I did not know of Bruce’s love for old time Westerns and that is my love also. I did not know that Bruce lived in the Pahrump area until we moved to Pahrump and one day happened to see the sign that said Bruce Kasten bookeeping and called and said is this the Bruce Kasten that I was in the Air Force Reserve with and he said yes who might this be and I said I held a Royal Flush against you and he said this has to be Dave Peck so Bruce may you rest in Poker playing heaven
Kelli Kasten-Kruger
17 Nov 2020Mr. Peck,
I loved hearing your story. Just so happens that I went to school with your daughter Stacey, please tell her Hi for me.
Thank you, Kelli (Kasten) Kruger.
Rhonda Wellnitz
12 Feb 2021I went looking for Bruce today because he didn’t mail me my tax packet or answer his phone. I went to where his office used to be inPahrump, which is now a gun shop only to learn that Bruce passed away last year. What a nice man. I will miss him and Grace, His Dog). I am sorry for your loss.
Robert & Leslie Moreno
15 Feb 2021We are so sorry for your loss. Bruce was a great person and tax man. We did not know that he had left his tax shop here in Pahrump, NV. We went to get our taxes done and the place was no longer there. My wife located his name on the computer and was shocked to see he passed away. He was fun to talk to and really helped a person out when it was about what you could or should get from your taxes. He never notified us on leaving or referring us to another person who he would trust. We hope your Family is doing fine and God Bless. “RIP BRUCE”
Bill Wertz
31 Oct 2022My most sincere condolonces to all of Bruce’s Family and Friends,,, I just this moment, sadly, learned of Bruce’s passing. My wife Joyce (RIP) and I became clients and friends with Bruce,,, our golden, “TJ” and his “Grace” became great friends and we showed Bruce a great depository of beautiful gemstones right in his backyard,,, I have been hospitalized and am now living alone and slowly recovering in Reno where my family moved me,,, I am so sorry to learn of Bruce’s passing,,, could someone connect me with whoever has Bruce’s old tax records,,, thank you and Godbless and Godspeed,,, Bill Wertz
billlwertz@hotmail.com
(yes, 3 L’s)