GEORGE WALLACE BRUCE
1929-2026
Born April 7, 1929, George was the only child of a Southern farmer. He entered this world at the dawn of the Great Depression, and spent his life driven by a solid work ethic and a childlike curiosity. He was entrepreneurial, hardworking, and had a wicked sense of humor. Along the long path of his life he demonstrated leadership skills that served his country and his family well.
George’s father ran a horse-riding at his farm in Mechanicsville, Virginia, where George was born. His mother worked in a department store. Somehow, they made ends meet, traversed the Great Depression, and George came out the other side fearless, eager to see the world, and always with that devilish grin on his face.
His family was of Scottish, English, and Irish descent. George carried a Southern accent throughout his long life, which proved to be a great asset as he demonstrated his entrepreneurial spirit and his zest for life wherever he went. It didn’t hurt that he was the consummate storyteller, had an endless supply of jokes memorized, and was often the life of the party.
George was a man of God. He attended the Coronado Community Church, where, just four days prior to his passing, on Easter Sunday, the entire congregation sang Happy Birthday to him. George Wallace Bruce died April 9, at the age of 97, of complications from a bad fall. He died a happy man, surrounded by his loving family.
George received a Bachelor of Science degree in chemistry from the University of Richmond, and a Masters in International Affairs from George Washington University. He enlisted in the US Navy in 1952.
As an only child, George learned life pretty much on his own. He didn’t take orders from others easily, and his initial feeling was that he would only be in the Navy for a short time. However, he climbed in the ranks quickly, becoming Commanding Officer of Squadron VS-37. He served nearly 27 years in the US Navy, retiring in 1978 at the rank of Captain.
During those early years, he flew the S-2 Tracker, the first purpose-built, single airframe, anti-submarine warfare aircraft utilized by the US Navy. It had a range of more than 1,300 miles and carried a payload consisting of torpedoes, depth charges and naval mines.
One incident took place during George’s naval career that always elicited an emotional response in the retelling. While aboard the aircraft carrier, USS Ticonderoga, George was preparing for a training mission in the Pacific Ocean. His S-2 did a catapult launch. George was the pilot, and he had a young and inexperienced co-pilot and navigator on board. As the airplane sling-shot into the air, one of the engines exploded into flames, upon which his onboard chief said, “Skipper, we have a burner!”
It was fortunate George was at the controls, as he had to do a near-impossible juggling act to keep the plane in the air, standing on the rudder controls at times to prevent either crashing into the sea (and being run over by the enormous mother ship) or onto the flight deck.
He did what he had taught hundreds of young pilots to do in such an emergency (George trained new pilots in Corpus Christi before being assigned to the Ticonderoga), except this time it was him executing emergency protocols, calmly, talking his crew through every move, and avoiding what could easily have been a fatal situation.
George, who’s pilot call sign was, “Sweet Lips-2,” was able to keep his plane out of the water, circle back, and land without loss of life or further damage to the S-2.
George allegedly got his words confused when speaking to the tower. It is said he radioed an emergency message to his shipmates, “There’s cock in my firepit.” That was good for a laugh the remainder of his life, and a most effective way to bring a smile and happy closure to what could have been a very tragic story.
“I think my husband had an Angel with him that day,” said his wife, Mary Ann, “helping guide he and his flight crew safely back to that ship.”
George then went on to play a central role in two historic NASA recovery missions aboard the USS Ticonderoga. As navigator, he helped guide the ship during the recovery of Apollo 17, the final Moon mission. Then, later, as second-in-command of the Tico, he was essential in the recovery of Skylab II. Soon after, he rose to take command of the storied aircraft carrier.
“We watched him on our little black & white TV, from home,” remembered eldest son Steve, still proud after all these years.
Later on, he would be commanding officer of the USS St. Louis, an armed amphibious cargo ship that carried a company of US Marines and played a crucial role in naval maneuvers around the world.
Upon retiring from the Navy, George went into building a robust career in real estate, which he did very successfully for 23 years. He had a Type-A personality, a tremendous work ethic and was extremely driven his whole life, not only as an officer in the US Navy and as a successful businessman in the private sector, but as a family man with deep religious beliefs. He worked until the day he died.
A man of unfailing moral fiber, George was also blessed with a sense of humor, which enabled him to make friends quickly and bring smiles to the faces of all who knew him. He loved to party, to tell jokes, and he loved to play jokes on his friends.
Once, during a party at a friend’s house, George had the idea to remove all the upstairs furniture from the home. They took the mattresses, furniture and everything else, tied them to the top of George’s car and hid everything in his garage. He loved to get reactions from his friends, and that one certainly did, and is still talked about today.
Even after George retired from the real estate business, he couldn’t sit idle. He continued to share his wisdom and networked with people up until the day he died. “He earned every dollar he ever made,” said daughter Julie. “If he didn’t accomplish something every day he wasn’t happy. He was committed and driven at everything he ever did.”
George inherited his work ethic as a young child, growing up on the family farm, and it stayed with him throughout his life. “He performed diligently from his everyday ‘To-Do List,’ and worked out in the gym, and also loved gardening,” said his wife Mary Ann. Early on, he and Mary Ann even learned to dance the Jitter Bug.
An avid reader, George was not a one-source-of-news sort of man. He wanted as full and worldly a look at what was going on around him at all times, and referred to multiple sources of news to maintain that balance. He memorized the names of every President (and the years they served), the capital of every state, and every country. He didn’t always pronounce some of the Third World titles correctly, but his family got a kick out his determination. They were quizzed constantly by him.
“Dad taught us all the magic of storytelling,” said his daughter Lisa. “He loved to tell stories. He was very spiritual, very punctual, very determined, very driven, and very intentional. He was a handshake kind of guy; didn’t need contracts. To my father, a man’s word was his bond.”
George was never too busy to stop and tell someone a joke. He had a natural wit and loved making those around him laugh. George loved taking center stage. Some of his friends called him a “stand-up preacher.” His wife just called him “GW.”
With such a religious upbringing, it came as no surprise when George began to stand in for the pastor of his church, the Coronado Community Church. The congregation loved him, and standing up there in front of them, at the pulpit, one could watch the beauty of George Bruce unfold in stories about Christ, war experiences, his own lessons on life, and all wrapped with his unique brand of humor and that delightful and whimsical twang.
George was a founding member of the Coronado Community Church (CCC). “George reminded me on a regular basis that he would gladly sit in for me, should I be unable to make a Sunday service,” recalled Pastor Eric Smith of the CCC. “Ultimately, my resistance ebbed, and we established a preaching date for George. When the day came, our worship space was packed! Not an empty seat in the house. I have to admit, I was a little envious. We never had a full house for any sermon I had preached.
“George was a faithful, wonderful, generous man,” continued Pastor Eric. “All of us were better for having known him. I’ll miss him. He has gone to be with his heavenly father, and may his memory be blessed.”
“I loved his wit,” said Lisa. “I loved that he liked to make people laugh. I’m very, very proud of his work ethic. He was honest as the day is long, to the point where he couldn’t even cheat on his taxes by 30 cents.
“My dad focused a lot on money, because he felt a lot of pressure to provide for the family. And yet, even though he was so focused on it, he could be very generous at the same time. He wanted your work to be something you cared about, and not just make money. He loved the Navy. He loved real estate. He enjoyed the gamesmanship of it all.”
Although he and his wife had rented several times in Coronado as George moved from one naval command to another, they became permanent residents here in 1974. He was extremely proud of his wife and children, and loved them dearly. He was married for 73 years. This, and the fact that he lived almost a century, gave him great pride.
Daughter Julie echoed much of what her sister Lisa said. “My dad was good at managing people, while respecting and honoring them and making them feel good about themselves. You work hard for your money. You take the ups and downs and not let up.”
A proud and passionate patriot, George was a member of the Coronado Optimist Club, an avid golfer, and played vigorous tennis. George attended the Coronado Community Church for 30 years.
George maintained a couple of morning traditions in his later years. Every Wednesday he would go to Tartine’s, and every Monday he would go to Crown Bistro for Eggs Benedict. “If you met him, you never forgot him,” said the manager of his bank.
Longtime friend, Frank Haag, remembered George: “So many memories: dinners together, birthday celebrations, laughter, sharing birthdays in April, corny jokes, watching my friend become a stand-up preacher and knowing that I had a friend that loved me as much as I loved him. God Bless George, and the Bruce Family.”
George Bruce is survived by his wife Mary Ann of Coronado, and his sons Steve, of Coronado, and Bob (Diane Lindsey), of San Diego. He is also survived by daughters Dorothy Huss (Mark) of Banner Elk, North Carolina; Lisa Bruce (Dave Evans) of Coronado; and Julie Meyers of Bainbridge Island, Washington. George was blessed with six grandchildren (Jessica, Jennifer, Jared, Julia, Taylor and Sara), as well as three great grandchildren (Hudson, Savannah, and Aldric).
One of the most fragile and cherished members of the Bruce family also survives him, his little dog Sergio.
A private Celebration-of-Life will be scheduled in the near future. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be made, “In Memory of George Bruce,” to the Coronado Community Church (PO Box 181680, Coronado, CA 92178-1680), or PAWS of Coronado (124 Orange Avenue, Suite 205, Coronado, CA, 92118).
