William Bruce Kitts

Bruce was born in Walla Walla, WA, on March 13, 1948, the son of William Henry Kitts and Mary Buchan Kitts. The family moved to Seattle that same year when he was 6 months old. Bruce grew up in northeast Seattle and graduated from Nathan Hale in 1966.

He graduated from the University of Washington, majoring in Journalism, and was a member of Phi Kappa Psi.

One week after graduation in 1970, he married Robin and began work as a reporter at the Fairbanks, AK, Daily News-Miner. Over the next 14 years, he worked as a reporter and editor at the Hermiston, OR, Herald, the Walla Walla Union-Bulletin, and the Bellevue Journal-American. The first marriage lasted less than 10 years but produced two wonderful daughters, Jill and Melissa.

While at the Journal-American, Bruce met Cindy, the woman who would become his wife for more than 46 years. They celebrated the birth of twin sons, Jeffrey and Jamie.

As the newspaper industry changed, Bruce decided to pursue a new career in accounting. In 1981, Bruce began taking accounting classes in anticipation of a career change. In May 1984, he passed the CPA exam, and in January 1985, he began his new career at KPMG as a tax accountant. In 1988, he joined the corporate tax department of Esterline, a Bellevue aerospace and defense company. In 1990, he established his own private tax practice, which he continued until his retirement. During this time, he also served as treasurer of Buchan Baking Co., a real estate investment firm owned by family members.

He became a stay-at-home dad while Cindy also left the newspaper business and built a career in technology. Within 25 years, both Cindy and Bruce retired and began another 21 years of world travel, including many trips to Asia, Mexico, Canada, the Caribbean, Central America, Europe, and cities throughout the US. They often mixed land and sea travel, especially enjoying long cruises across the Atlantic and Pacific. These trips gave them plenty of carefree days at sea and far fewer hours squeezed into airplane seats. When they weren’t traveling, they volunteered with local nonprofit organizations.

Bruce had a way of making people feel comfortable and cared for simply by being himself. His compassion came naturally, and his strength was quiet and steady, his humor clever and perfectly timed. When life grew difficult, he met it with grace and resilience, choosing to remain positive and upbeat. Family was at the center of his life, and he showed his love through simple, everyday acts—by showing up, listening, and being supportive. He treasured time together, shared laughter, and the comfort of being close to the people he loved most.

He is survived by his wife, Cindy, daughters Jill Estes and Melissa Kitts (Damon Harkey), sons Jeffrey (Tyler Higgins) and Jamie, grandchildren Avery Estes, Bailey Estes, Theo Howard and Sam Howard, step-grandchildren Liz and Emma Harkey, niece Gretchen Speerstra and grand-nephews Aiden and Caleb Carlisle, and brother-in-law, James Schmidt (Jackie Degler). He is predeceased by his sister, Cindy Tims (Stephen Skelton).

A graveside service for family and friends will be held Feb 7 at 1 PM at Abbey View Memorial Park, 3601 Alaska Rd, Brier. A reception will follow at Novelty Hill - Januik Winery, 14710 Redmond-Woodinville Rd NE, Woodinville.

In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to Babies of Homelessness at babiesofhomelessness.org.

William Bruce Kitts, aged 77, passed away on January 12, 2026. He was born on March 13, 1948.

William resided in Bothell, Washington.