Thomas Richard Bruce has passed away. He was born Sept. 5, 1932, in Sylvester, Worth County, Ga., to his parents, Thomas Peter Bruce and Bobbie Cobb Bruce. He was predeceased by his parents, two brothers, Clayton and Jack; his only sister, Betty Eleanor Bruce; and by his eldest son, David Richard Bruce.

Richard had been in-patient at Life Care Center of Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, at the time of his death from dementia, which he had combatted for the past eight years.

He is survived by his wife of 65 years, Mrs. Anne (Rhea) Bruce,; his son, D. Bruce and family of Washington; his son, M. Scott Bruce and his daughters and son; his son, Andrew Bruce, also of Washington state; his only daughter, Sarah Bruce Howard of Idaho; and his elder brother, M.E. Bruce of Georgia. He was grandfather of eight and the great- grandfather of 11 children.

Richard was a 1957 graduate of Georgia Institute of Technology, in Atlanta, Ga., where he was also a member in Lambda Chi Alpha fraternity, on the Tech campus. He was a loyal fan of Tech football, the Wramblin’ Wrecks, and in baseball, the Atlanta Braves. This past decade he has been a avid fan of college basketball in Spokane, Wash., the Gonzaga Bulldogs.

His engineering career took him to McDonald/Douglas Aircraft in Santa Monica, Calif., to Convair-Astronautics in San Diego, Calif. In 1960, he moved his family to Hill Air Force Base in Ogden, Utah, and joined the Department of Defense, working on the F-4 C and D aircraft. In 1973, he left aircraft per se, and moved to Alamogordo, N.M., to the 6585th Test Group, at Holloman Air Force Base, and to the High Speed Test Track there. He remained with the 6585th Test Group until his retirement in June 1993.

In 1969, he became a life member of the National Rifle Association, and over the years, eventually became an endowment member. His hobbies reflected his love of American weaponry, as he became a competitive pistol shooter, competing in most of the western states in NRA and state competitions, in the .22 caliber, the .38 caliber and the .45 caliber, winning many championships in each of them.

His other deep interest and knowledge was antique Winchester rifles, and at one time had an exemplary collection of each model year. He retained his interest in this hobby until a decade ago when his health began to make these hobbies too difficult.

It was his wish that there be no formal service for him after death, but to make it a celebration of his life with his family. There will be a gathering to celebrate him as head of this large family group, who will miss him so greatly, as will so many other co-workers and friends in the many places he lived and worked.