Bruce Edward Fendt

Bruce was born May 15, 1946 to Doris (Knight) Fendt-Dunlap (parents were Marjorie and George Knight) and Ernest Edward Fendt, II, born May 27, 1920, (parents were Ernest Edward Fend and name unknown) in Columbus, Ohio. He had one younger brother, Roger Steven Fendt and one step-brother, Ernest Fendt III who was born in West Virginia whom Bruce never met, and no aunts or uncles on either side of the family. When his parents divorced in 1950 at the age of 4, he lived with his father. He was an industrial engineer, whose work took them to West Virginia, Michigan, Louisiana, and finally to California where his father served as Vice President of Industrial Engineering for Howard Hughes Aircraft. He died in 1981 at the age of 61 and is buried at Forest Lawn Cemetery’s Cypress Memorial Park section.

Bruce joined the Marines straight out of high school in 1964. He served one tour in Vietnam and received an honorable discharge rank of E-5 in 1968. He took great pride in serving his country as a marine and wanted to make it his career, but had married Kay Hackney before being discharged from the service and Kay wanted no part of military life. Kay and Bruce married in 1967 and had two boys Derek Fendt and Randy Fendt. They divorced in 1973 due to a disease known as alcoholism but he and Kay remained friends throughout their adult years. Bruce, and Bill W became friends in December of 1985, finding sobriety that remained the rest of his life. A year later, 1986, he married Vickie Zimmerman who also had also found sobriety and they remained happily married until her death in 2011 from ovarian cancer. Bruce remarried Oct. 4 in 2014 to Dianna Prouty Barrett and they spent their remaining years living their spring and summer months in Columbus, Ohio and the fall and winter months in Chapin, South Carolina so that they could play golf year round.

An educated man with an associates degree in accounting, Bruce was a very kind, polite, thoughtful, gentle man with a dry sense of humor who awakened every morning joyfully wearing a big smile. He loved his church family of New Life Community of Irmo, South Carolina and recommitted his life to serving the Lord through baptism February 2020. He enjoyed singing silly songs, liked all types of music especially hard rock and the Beatles, loved bowling, enjoyed working crossword puzzles and working with wood (while the rule is to measure twice and cuts once, he always measured three or more times and made as least 6 cuts) and was an avid golfer. In his later years he worked out at the gym regularly, played cards with Dianna though he didn’t enjoy it but wanted to please her because he valued being a gentleman. Bruce always thanked his wife for every meal served to him and repaid his appreciation by doing the dishes. His favorite time of the year was Halloween and Christmas when he decorated the front lawn and cover the house with lights. Bruce, was a man of integrity; respected by all who knew him, loyal and truthful to a fault. He retired from Columbia Gas and Kimbal Midwest of Columbus, Ohio.

Preceded in death by his parents, first wife Kay Hackney Fendt, wife Vicki (Zimmerman) Fendt in May of 2011, grandson Randall Lee Fendt II, in November 1993 at 6 months of age.

Survived by wife of Dianna Prouty Barrett, sons Derek (Chris) Fendt, Randall Fendt, step-sons Trevor Barrett and Brian Dickie, step-daughters Tracey Barrett, Ashley and Samatha Schorkhuber, grandsons Tony (Jenna) Reeves, Tyler (Kailee) Fendt, and granddaughter Kristina Fendt; brother Roger Steven (Linda) Fendt of Florida and three nieces: Kristin, Kelly and Kim, 3 great-nieces and 1 great-nephew all of Florida; great-grandsons Tyler Fendt, Jr, Connor and Cameron Reeves, great-granddaughters Pasilee Mount, and soon to arrive Ellie Bruce-Fendt.

Due to the current Covid-19 pandemic, memorial will be held at a later date New Life Community Church at Irmo and in Columbus, Ohio.

Memories may be shared at www.dunbarfunerals.com.