Bob Bruce
Bobby G. “Bob” Bruce passed away peacefully on May 7, 2024, at the Sturgill Hospice House in Brooksville, Fla.
Bob was born in Union City on Jan. 20, 1938, to Fred and Clarice Burress Bruce. Bob was a graduate of Union City High School, where he was an all-around athlete playing every available sport, before moving to Plymouth, Mich., with his parents at the age of 17. Bob worked at Meg Shops for two years to save money for college, and in 1957 enrolled at the University of Tennessee.
After college, Bob worked as a manager at the FW Woolworth Company until 1962, when he joined the Army and was accepted into the Army Security Agency school at Fort Devens, Mass. Bob served in the ASA in Tawain and Washington, D.C., until 1964, when he came back to FW Woolworth as a manager in their Woolco division.
In 1969, Bob accepted a position with the Clopay Corp in Grand Rapids, Mich., and in 1979 he moved back to Tennessee to complete training on securities and municipal bonds and begin work as a stockbroker. In 1984, Bob became a sales representative for Aflac, for which he was named a member of the President’s Club and earned numerous honors and awards before his retirement in 1998.
Bob moved to Florida in 2003 where he enjoyed regular fellowship with friends and entertained them with stories from his school and work days, like the time he played a perfect game of softball, his unwavering support of all University of Tennessee sports, and some great jokes.
Bob is pre-deceased by his mother, father and sister, Brenda; and is survived by sister, Betty; brother Billy; and his sons, Jeffery of Knoxville and Mark of Sumter, S.C.
Brewer & Sons Funeral Home in Brooksville, Fla., was in charge of arrangements.
Published in The Messenger on 5.15.24