1926-2022
Heaven gained a special angel on June 30, 2022 when Margaret Ann Speas Bruce passed away peacefully at home with family at her side. She brightened the lives of all who knew her. Her warmth and hospitable Southern charm blessed her with many friends everywhere she went. It was always her desire that those who knew her felt loved and valued.
Margaret Ann was born on March 31, 1926. A native of Atlanta, she was the daughter of the late James W. Speas and Mary Henrietta Davis Speas. She attended Spring Street School, E. Rivers Elementary School, and North Fulton High School. After two years at Randolph-Macon Woman’s College in Lynchburg, Virginia, she graduated from The University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, in 1947.
Margaret Ann made her debut with The Atlanta Debutante Club in 1945. She was a member of Phi Mu Fraternity, an honorary member of the Atlanta Junior League, and a distinguished member of The Rose Garden Club. Her membership at Peachtree Road United Methodist Church and her friends in the Timothy Sunday School Class meant the world to her even when she could no longer attend in person.
She will be remembered for her joy of playing tennis at The Cherokee Town & Country Club, her passion for Carolina basketball, her skill at creating beautiful flower arrangements, and “butterflies!” For the last 15 years she made Lenbrook Retirement Community her home. Her competitive and strong spirit made her a power to be reckoned with at the bridge table and gave her the ability to age with grace, not letting her confinement in a wheelchair stop her from dinners with friends, dances, social gatherings, and family celebrations.
Margaret Ann was predeceased by her loving husband of 49 years, Robert Edgar Bruce III, and her only sister, Henrietta Speas McCarter. Survivors are her four children and their spouses, Robert Edgar Bruce IV (Cindy), Anne Bruce Beacham (John), Amelia Bruce Miller (Courtenay), and Mary Henrietta Bruce. She is also survived by her seven adoring grandchildren, John Rutledge Beacham (Abby), Matthew Ivy Beacham (Adrianne), Alexander Howry Bruce (McKayle), James Buck Bruce, Virginia Miller Self (Blake), William Payson Miller, and Claude Hampton Miller. Additionally, there are her five great-grandchildren, Stone Rutledge Beacham, John Henry Beacham, Margaret Fletcher Self, Oscar William Bruce, and Jackson Rutledge Beacham.
The family is especially grateful for the compassionate care team our mother had while living on the healthcare floor at Lenbrook. They took the time to have her immaculately dressed each day which always included a butterfly pin on her left shoulder.
In lieu of flowers, memorial donations can be made to Peachtree Road United Methodist Church, 3180 Peachtree Road, NE, Atlanta, GA 30305 (prumc.org) or the charity of your choice.
