In Memorium
Bruce Widamen
February 26, 1952 - June 21, 2022
Born in St. Louis, MO
Resided in St. Charles, MO
Bruce Alan Widaman (B-Man), of Saint Charles, MO, passed away Tuesday, June 21, 2022, at the age of 70. Beloved husband of Debbie Widaman; cherished son of the late Mary Ellen Widaman and Donald Widaman, Sr. Devoted father of Daniel (Markisha) Widaman and Lindsay (Patrick) McHargue; loving grandfather of Hailey Corbeil, Alexandra, Gwendolyn, Gabriel, and Alanna Widaman; dear brother of Scott (Tricia) Widaman, Doug (Patrice) Widaman, the late Don Widaman, Jr., and the late Lee Widaman; a host of relatives and friends he considered his family.
Bruce loved life and loved to laugh. He was interested in science and UFO’s and learning about the mysteries of the world. Bruce also enjoyed a good road trip, concerts, and loved to barbecue and spend time with his family. Bruce was dearly loved and will be greatly missed by all who knew him.
“MUFON has lost a wonderful friend and a dedicated member.
Bruce has been with MUFON for as long as I can remember.
God speed Bruce Widaman, God speed.”
Dave MacDonald exe dir MUFON.
Bruce ‘B-Man’ Widaman, MUFON Man (1952 - 2022)
Bruce was inspired to record this farewell message to his friends and family December 1, 2021 while visiting the very plot of land that would become his final resting place. I promised Bruce earlier this year to share this video at the time of his passing.
Bruce and I began a documentary project in early 2020 and travelled across the country interviewing over 20 ufologists covering a wide range of subjects ranging from UFO’s, abductions, Marley Woods, alien encounters, physics and space, the history of MUFON, ancient aliens, Hopi prophecies, pictographs / petroglyphs, artifacts, underwater USO’s, etc.
Bruce was a former Missouri state director of the Mutual UFO Network (MUFON), the world's largest UFO nongovernmental research organization and became established as a trusted resource in the ufological community among its worldwide network of researchers.
As a teenager, Bruce was a founding member of the UFO Study Group of Greater St. Louis in 1968 which brought together many of the same individuals who would later form MUFON just one year later.
As a further catalyst to Bruce’s intense lifelong interest, in the early 70’s, after graduating from high-school, Bruce had been advised to seek hypnosis therapy to unlock memories of a childhood experience which he came to understand was an alien encounter in his own hometown of St. Charles, MO. While much of Bruce’s life parallels the popular TV series, the X-Files, Bruce incidentally introduced Chris Carter, the creator of the series, to his guest speakers at a 1989 MUFON Symposium in St. Louis, MO greatly shaping his research for the show.
Bruce was a hub for connecting a wide range of researchers and was himself a fearless researcher. He played a large role in introducing the world to many leading ufologists who may have otherwise never have entered the field or have gone unnoticed. Bruce hosted the very meeting where SOM-101 was first introduced and declassified, was the first ufologist to visit Marley Woods, and met with countless individuals who entrusted their stories with him.
Our loss is impossible to quantify and he will forever be missed.
Joseph (Joe) Palermo
Joe Palermo passed away on February 2, 2021 after a long bout with cancer. Joe was a longtime member of Missouri MUFON and served as a Field Investigator and as Chief Investigator. He assisted on many cases across the state and worked closely with Debbie Ziegelmeyer and Margie Kay. Joe was a videographer, filmmaker and actor. Joe filmed our state conferences and many St. Louis MUFON meetings. He appeared on a documentary film about the Chupacabra, and made his own film about his bigfoot encounter at a park in St. Louis in the 1970's. Joe spoke at many Missouri MUFON meetings, and paranormal group events and conferences about his investigations and his own personal experiences. He was usually the videographer at our events.
Joe often spoke of his encounter with a bigfoot in St. Louis when he was a teenager and continued to investigate that sighting over the years.
Joe offered valuable insight into cases of any type. He will be sorely missed by all.
Spencer (Spence) Wolling, longtime Missouri MUFON member, passed away peacefully on
November 1, 2020 at the age of 96. Spence was a 1941 graduate of St. Louis Country Day School, a 1947 graduate of Princeton University, and 1949 graduate of Harvard Business School. He graduated Magna Cum Laude in Mechanical Engineering at Princeton after serving in WWII in the army as an ordinance technician in the South Pacific. Spence was a partner in a CPA firm and later Vice-President of finance for L.E. Sauer Machine Co. until he retired in 1993. He was also a Deacon, Trustee and Elder of the First Presbyterian Church of Kirkwood, and was proceeded in death by his wife of 64 years, Mildred.
Spence regularly attended the St. Louis area monthly MUFON meetings, always sitting near the front dawning a big smile. His interest in the study of UFOs and other unexplained phenomenon was vast as well as his knowledge on the subject. Spence was also a contributor to Missouri MUFON making a generous donation every December, to our local chapter. Spence Wolling was a kind, wonderful person who is greatly missed. Our local MUFON meetings may seem to have a void, but I believe Spence will be there with us quietly smiling as usual, enjoying the topic of discussion. Good-bye Spence