Mr. Cecil Edward “Sam” Bruce, age 73, of Cleveland, Georgia passed away on Wednesday, March 30, in an Athens hospital following a brief illness. A funeral service to celebrate his life will be held on Saturday, April 2, 2022, at 2:00 P.M. in the May and Smith Funeral Home Chapel with burial in Washington County Memorial Gardens Cemetery. Reverend John Pirkle will officiate. Pallbearers will be John Bruce, Chase D’Anella, Chance Hancock, Clint Hancock, Rhett Gardner, Dakota Spivey, Brad Roberts, and Matthew Turner. The family will greet friends on Saturday, April 2 from 1:00 P.M. until the hour of service at 2:00 P.M.
Sam was born in Postell, Tennessee, the son of the late Cecil Bruce and the late Bonnie Dalton Bruce. He was reared in Ducktown, Tennessee, where he graduated from the Copper Basin High School. Mr. Bruce moved to Atlanta in 1968 and married his wife of 54 years, Brenda Turner Bruce. Sam served his country in the United States Army during the Vietnam Conflict. Following his military service, he returned to Atlanta to begin work as a carpenter, repairing furniture for Unclaimed Freight. Mr. Bruce would then acquire his life insurance license and became an agent for New York Life, prior to creating his own mortgage brokerage business that he would operate until retirement. Sam and Brenda retired to Sandersville to be near family and worked for Sandersville Farmers Furniture. They would later work at Gainesville Farmers Furniture after moving to Cleveland. Mr. Bruce was a volunteer with Habitat for Humanity. He possessed a lifelong love of fishing and enjoyed watching football and NASCAR.
Survivors include his wife, Brenda Turner Bruce of Cleveland; son, John Bruce of Bishop; his granddaughter, Ashley Bruce of Pendergrass; grandson, Lachlan Spivey; siblings Pete Bruce of Tennessee, Gwen Bruce of Tennessee, and Scellos Leavens of Snellville.
Donations may be made to Disabled Veterans, P.O Box 14301, Cincinnati, Ohio 45250 or to the American Heart Association, P.O. Box 840692, Dallas, Texas 75284.
Online condolences may be expressed at mayandsmithfuneraldirectors.com.
May and Smith Funeral Directors is in charge of these arrangements.