William Boyd Bruce

William “Bill” Boyd Bruce died peacefully in on December 9, 2022 in Tampa, Florida at the age of 79. Bill is survived by his wife, Ret; children, Kimberly Bruce Gratz, Scott Bruce, and Christina Contos; Grandchildren, William J. Bruce, Michael Gratz, Christine Bruce and Palmer Wynne; Siblings Clark Bruce, Patricia Lampa, Roland Bruce and Steven Bruce; Sons-in-law, Mike Gratz and Steve Contos.

Bill was born on December 5, 1943 in Durham, NC to Clifton and Myrtle Bruce. He grew up in Long Beach, California and served with honor in the US Army Airborne during the Vietnam War. While in Vietnam, he found and married the love of his life, Ret. She was his inspiration and lifelong partner for more than 58 years. They raised three children and founded Bruce Component Systems, a roof truss manufacturing business in Lecanto, together. His family remembers him as a loving, devoted husband and father, who encouraged them to dream big, make a difference and always do the “right things”, noting that they would not necessarily be the easy things.

Bill loved music, was an avid reader (often quoting Kipling, Frost and Steinbeck), studying history and playing guitar. He was most proud of the life and the business he built with Ret, as well as his children and grandchildren. His family will honor his dreams of continuing the business and is grateful to the past and present employees of Bruce Component Systems for their loyalty and contribution to the company’s success.

A private military service will be held at Florida National Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, please consider donating to the Tampa General Hospital Foundation, in memory of William Boyd Bruce. Contributions can be made online by visiting http://tgh.org/make-gift and completing the online giving form. The family would like to thank the staff and physicians at Tampa General Hospital for their care and dedication.