Rev Robert "Bob" Garvin Bruce Jr.'s Obituary
Rev. Robert “Bob” Garvin Bruce, Jr., 65, passed away peacefully on June 6, 2015, at Kindred Central Hospital in Tampa, Florida, surrounded by the love of family and friends. Born in Princeton, Indiana, Bob was the first child of Robert Bruce, Sr., and Anne Clark. He loved sports, boating, and golf and was a gifted pianist, receiving full piano scholarship to the University of South Florida. There, he met Debbie Fulghum, the love of his life, and married in 1973. A graduate of Candler School of Theology (Emory Univ), Bob served as pastor at Southside UMC (Jacksonville), Curry Ford UMC (Orlando), East Naples UMC (Naples) and Ortega UMC (Jacksonville). Bob served on the Bishop’s Cabinet as District Superintendent in Orlando, taking retirement in 2000 to move to Atlanta to be close to their children—Rob, Brittnye, and Ashley—all students at Emory. He re-careered at Cisco Systems. Married 42 years to Deb, Bob was a devoted husband, father and grandfather. He told everyone the most important thing in life was “family” and authored 11 books on parenting and marriage, including Reclaiming Your Family. Tragically, Bob suffered a work-related catastrophic brain injury in April 2011 that resulted in major health problems from which he could not recover. He’s survived by his wife Deb Fulghum Bruce; three children, Robert (Claire Van Leuven), Brittnye (Dr. John Berg), Ashley (Sunjay Trehan); six grandchildren (Zoe Bockenek; Anneka and Lena Berg; Griffin and Madeline Bruce; Elizabeth Trehan); his father Robert Bruce, Sr. (Rosemary Scheetz); and four siblings. A Celebration of Life Service will be held on Sunday, June 14, 2015, at 2:00 pm at Lake Magdalene United Methodist Church in Tampa. Memorial donations may be made to Emory University Neuroscience Intensive Care Unit in Atlanta.
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