Bruce Kerfoot, whose family name has been tied to the area just shy of the Canadian border on the edge of the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness for nearly a century, died in his sleep Wednesday in his Missouri home, according to family. He was 85.
Kerfoot and his wife, Sue, were the longtime owners of the Gunflint Lodge & Outfitters, a four-season destination resort on Gunflint Lake, where Bruce Kerfoot grew up and lived much of his life. He was a local force, his presence in a room always obvious, according to those who knew him. He offered support to new business owners, was a colorful storyteller and could serve up a lunch of three different kinds of fish cooked three different ways. He took the lead on local causes like resources for the local rescue squad and a museum sharing the story of the region.
“He cared a lot about his community,” said Lee Kerfoot, his youngest son.
And the community was woven into Bruce Kerfoot’s DNA, his son said: The white pines, the Gunflint Trail, the lakes of the BWCAW, the portages, the boulders, the people who live there and the people who visit.
Justine Kerfoot, Bruce’s mother, left behind her big city life near Chicago for the small resort during the Great Depression. She spent about 60 years on site and served as a fishing guide, plumber, vehicle mechanic and moose hunter. She also wrote books and newspaper columns about life in the north woods and is considered a pioneer of the area.
According to lore, she once led a hunting group when she was eight months pregnant.
Bruce and Sue Kerfoot took over the lodge, 45 miles from Grand Marais on the Gunflint Trail, in the 1960s and brought innovation. Linda Jurek, executive director of Visit Cook County, described him as a catalyst — one of the first resort owners to bring in international students for summer help.
Bruce Kerfoot was ready to sell the resort in 2013, and a seller came along in 2016. He stuck around to ease the transition, and new owners John and Mindy Fredrikson described him as supportive in this period — even in the face of ideas that had been tried and dismissed years ago.