H. Bruce Gilkes

It is with deep love and sadness that the family of Henry Bruce Gilkes, announces the passing of their beloved husband, father and grandfather on December 16, 2025. He was 81 years old.

Bruce Gilkes was born on Thanksgiving Day, November 23, 1944 to Alfred Armstrong Gilkes and Marianna Orsini in Oceanside, Long Island, NY. Bruce loved music from an early age and pursued it through his studies, his 33-year career in the USAF, his post-retirement conducting roles and his music publishing business. While music was his career, it wasn’t his only passion. Bruce was an excellent chef and host and his reserved manner belied his witty and dry sense of humor and a great laugh. He was a great entertainer both on stage and off. He loved his time with family including his wife, sons, daughters-in-law, stepson and daughters and especially his grandchildren. He was head over heels in love with those three kids and relished being called “Grandpa” by Ethan and Cora Gilkes and Bobby Ellis.

At the time of his USAF retirement in 1998, Colonel Gilkes was the Commander and Conductor of The United States Air Force Academy Band and The United States Air Force Band of the Rockies, Colorado Springs, Colorado.

Bruce began his music career in 1962 when he entered the Eastman School of Music where he studied trombone with Emory Remington and voice with Metropolitan Opera bass-baritone Julius Huehn. In 1965 Colonel Gilkes enlisted in The United States Air Force Band as a euphonium player. During the next several years he performed with various units of the Air Force Band and sang in the Camerata Chorus of Washington, D.C. while concurrently pursuing undergraduate studies at Catholic University of America. In 1973, he received the Bachelor of Music degree in Voice (magna cum laude) and later earned a Master of Music in Voice. During Colonel Gilkes' military career he also served as Commander/Conductor of the Military Airlift Command Band, Scott Air Force Base, Illinois, the Air Force Band of the East, McGuire Air Force Base, New Jersey, and the Air Force Band of New England, Pease Air Force Base, New Hampshire. He was also conductor of the Singing Sergeants, the official chorus of the Air Force, and Assistant Conductor of The U.S. Air Force Band, Washington, D.C. He formed and directed Festival Choruses in New Hampshire, Illinois, and Colorado and was director of the Seacoast Community Chorus in York, Maine.

Colonel Gilkes toured in nearly all 50 states, as well as Europe, Central and South America and the Caribbean. He has performed before U.S. Presidents, both chambers of Congress, foreign heads of state, His Holiness Pope John Paul II, and other high-level foreign dignitaries, both military and civilian. His military decorations include the Legion of Merit, the Meritorious Service Medal with two oak leaf clusters, and the Air Force Commendation Medal with oak leaf cluster. He is a graduate of Air War College and a Distinguished Graduate of Air Command and Staff College. The Air Force Association also recognized him as a Jimmy Doolittle Fellow. He is a recipient of The Colonel George S. Howard Citation of Musical Excellence for Military Concert Bands from The John Philip Sousa Foundation.

Colonel Gilkes was guest conductor with Poland's premier Orkiestra Koncertowa Wojska Polskiego (Concert Band of the Polish Army) in Warsaw, the Louisville Orchestra, the Houston Symphonic Band and the Japan Ground Self Defense Force Central Band in Tokyo. Annually, since 2005, he served as conductor/clinician in Japan, working with performers in different musical organizations in the Hiroshima and Tokyo areas, teaching rehearsal and performance techniques to conductors and students. He inspired music students and worked with youth as Conductor of such groups as the Indiana High School Honors Band, the Indiana Jr. All-State Band, the Mississippi All-State Band and the St. Olaf College Honors Band. For twelve summers, he served as a conductor at the Great Lake Music Camp in Indiana.

Following his USAF retirement, Colonel Gilkes served as the music director at USAA in San Antonio, Texas, from 1998 -2011 where he directed the corporate concert band, jazz band and chorus. In 1999, he established Musica Propria, and began publishing the new band works of American composers Julie Giroux, Joseph T. Spaniola, Karel Butz, and several others.

Bruce Gilkes was preceded in death by his parents and step-parents, his brother John Gilkes and his sister-in-law Debbie Gilkes. Bruce is survived by his wife Gisela Perez, and by the mother of his children, Mary Hull Gilkes, son Geoffrey Gilkes (Elysia Smith), Marshall Gilkes (Orsolya), his bonus family Joseph Scardetta, Alicia Scardetta (Will Ellis), and Maria Scardetta (Andrew O’Hara), his sister Susan Reese (George), brothers Paul Gilkes (Susan) and Kim Thiel (Debbie), his grandchildren and numerous nieces and nephews. Bruce made San Antonio, Texas his home the for past 26 years. He was loved, respected, and admired and will be missed by all who knew him.

In lieu of flowers Colonel Gilkes requested donations be made to St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital or American Cancer Society.

A visitation will be held at Sunset Funeral Home, located at 1701 Austin Highway, San Antonio, TX, 78218, on January 5, 2026, from 11:30 am to 12:30 pm.

A Celebration of Life will follow at the same location from 12:30 pm to 1:30 pm.

The committal service will take place at Fort Sam Houston National Cemetery, 1520 Harry Wurzbach Rd, San Antonio, TX, 78209, on January 5, 2026, from 2:00 pm to 2:30 pm.