Friends remember Gunflint legend Bruce Kerfoot after sudden death
COOK COUNTY, Minn. — If the distinctive cry of the common loon sounds a bit more mournful next spring when heard echoing across the border waters of Gunflint Lake, that is to be expected in the wake of one of the region's icons passing away unexpectedly in recent days.
Bruce Kerfoot, 85, died in his sleep Wednesday, Oct. 9, at his winter home in Missouri, not too many weeks after spending another summer on the Gunflint Trail, where he was a fixture at Gunflint Lodge for more than 50 years. Save for a few years in the military and four years spent earning a degree at an Ivy League college, Kerfoot lived in this remote part of Minnesota on the edge of the Canadian border all his life.
Raised by his mother, Justine, the original owner of the 99-year-old lodge, Kerfoot was well known among the tight-knit community there.
"If Justine was the royalty up here, (Bruce) was kind of like the crown prince," joked John Frederickson, who along with his wife, Mindy, purchased Gunflint Lodge and Outfitters from Kerfoot in 2016. "He was a bigger-than-life kind of guy. Seeing all the comments from folks in the last few days, apparently, he touched a lot more people than even we realized."
There was some admitted culture shock when Kerfoot left his remote wilderness home to study hospitality management at Cornell University in Upstate New York. Frederickson recalled one of Kerfoot's stories about the college requiring male students to wear a coat and tie to class each day. Kerfoot admitted that before arriving in Ithaca, he had rarely worn shoes from May to October.
But when he took over the family business, Kerfoot earned a reputation for expecting the best for his guests and delivering on that promise.
"He expected the most out of everybody, and everybody gave that," said Bonnie Schudy, who worked for the Kerfoots for more than a decade. "Everyone was very respectful and he ran Gunflint like a tight ship. It was great."
Today, Schudy is the campus director at Chik Wauk Museum & Nature Center, which offers visitors a history of the region and the people who first tamed the wilderness, long before there was so much as a road to Grand Marais, some 45 miles from Gunflint Lake. Kerfoot and his wife, Sue, were among those insistent that the stories and history be preserved, and helped establish and fund the museum.
"We needed money to fund the project, and Bruce said, 'Tell me how much you need, and I will get it,'" Schudy recalled. Kerfoot traveled to St. Paul and testified before the state Legislature, eventually securing a $250,000 Legacy Grant that helped get the museum open.
After selling the lodge, Bruce and Sue still lived in the area in the summer, and as recently as August of this year, he could be seen on one of the hottest days of the year working to repair a boardwalk that had been damaged by flooding — part of a crew of retirees known as the "Sawdust Seniors" who would donate their time and skills. For neighbors who had known him for years, Kerfoot's sudden and unexpected passing has hit hard.
"My two sisters and I started working for Bruce and Sue when we were 8-10 years old at Gunflint Lodge, stuffing brochures. We were happy to have such great neighbors," said Deb Mark from Seagull Canoe Outfitters, in a statement provided to the News Tribune. "Bruce had a kind heart, was a great marketer and willing to help anyone.
"I always thought of Bruce as larger than life," Mark said. "He is a huge loss to the Gunflint Trail community and it is my hope that he is still watching over all of us."
Kerfoot was also a backer of tourism in Cook County and supported the local visitors bureau, which issued a statement of condolence upon his death.
"His vision for the Gunflint Lodge adapted to the changing times while preserving its deep connection to the land," it read, in part. "Bruce was instrumental in shaping the area's tourism industry, from being a foundational member of Visit Cook County and the Chamber to introducing innovative services like international student employment at the lodge to supporting conservation efforts that have ensured the Gunflint's wild beauty remains intact for future generations."
As the lodge prepares to celebrate a century next summer, Frederickson said efforts are being made to permanently memorialize both Justine and Bruce Kerfoot. He said that a public memorial service will likely be held on Gunflint Lake in 2025.
"Bruce was always there," Frederickson said. "You knew this was going to come eventually, but he was such a full-of-life guy you never really felt what it would be like, and all of a sudden there's an emptiness."
