Henry Keith Bruce

Bruce, Henry Hank , 96, of Winter Park, Fla., passed away on March 22, 2017. He was born on January 24, 1921, in Fitzgerald, Ga. Henry was a retired Colonel who served for 30 years in the U.S. Marine Corps and logged more than 8,000 flight hours in jets, helicopters and transports. Henry was a humble and honorable man who truly cared about people. During his military career, he attended flight school, helicopter training, the University of Maryland, and the U.S. Naval War College. He enjoyed traveling and lived in many places throughout his career, including California, North Carolina, Florida, Washington, D.C., Guam, and Senegal. Henry's decorations, medals and commendations included the Legion of Merit, Presidential Unit Citation, Good Conduct Medal, Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal with 2 stars, Victory Medal (WWI), National Defense Service Medal with 1 star, Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal with 1 star, among many others. He was fluent in French and Russian and enjoyed linguistics. While he was largely private about his military experiences, he often commented on what an honor it was to have worked for the Joint Chiefs of Staff, how much he enjoyed serving on the Russian translation team for President Kennedy while at Camp David, and telling people that he had actually been to Timbuktu! Following his retirement from the USMC in 1970, he furthered his education at the University of South Florida and was a practicing CPA until his corporate retirement in 1988. Henry enjoyed bowling, golf, reading and answering Jeopardy questions. He was a beloved father, grandfather, great-grandfather, mentor and dear friend who will be missed by all who knew and loved him. He was preceded in death by his loving wife, Mary Elizabeth Bruce. He is survived by his daughter, Diane Culpepper; his granddaughter Kristin Vasilj (John); and his three great-grandchildren. Baldwin-Fairchild of Lake Ivanhoe is handling the arrangements for a private interment on April 1 at Palm Cemetery in Winter Park, Fla.