CMDR. Kenneth Casper Bruley

Cmdr. Kenneth Casper Bruley, 90, of Saint Simons Island, Georgia, died quietly Tuesday, September 28, at Hospice of the Golden Isles after a valiant battle against Parkinson’s disease and other complications. A member of Wesley United Methodist Church at Frederica and a dedicated participant in its Men’s Breakfast group, a memorial service and reception will be held in his honor at 1 p.m. on November 20, 2021 at Wesley with Reverend Dr. Jerry A. Row, Jr. officiating. A private graveside committal service with military honors will take place at Christ Church, Frederica after the reception.

Kenn was born in Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin on July 28, 1931 to Casper S. Bruley and Hazel Marie Kuehn Bruley. He graduated from the University of Wisconsin in Madison after completing its NROTC program and entered the United States Navy as an officer to begin his flight training. He later obtained his MBA while commanding the NROTC unit at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, New York, his last active duty station.

Kenn met his beloved wife of fifty years, Carole Coleman Bruley, when he was stationed at GLYNCO N.A.S., and she was teaching high school English at Glynn Academy. They were both cast in the play You Can’t Take It with You, with the Saint Simons Island Players, and it was love at first site. They married in 1962 and almost immediately relocated to Naval Air Station Miramar in San Diego, California. Shortly thereafter, Kenn deployed on the U.S.S. Ranger, CV-161, for early service in the Vietnam conflict. His Naval career took him and his family to numerous locales including Newport, Rhode Island; Boston, Massachusetts; and, Key West, Florida, with the family returning to Georgia whenever Kenn was deployed overseas. He retired as a commander after twenty-four years of service and often commented that although he had flown numerous different aircraft, flying the various iterations of the Navy’s F-4 Phantom II was the highlight of his career

Upon his retirement from the Navy, Kenn kept his early promise to Carole and returned his family to Saint Simons Island, where he and his friend, Clark Cook, built the family home. Shortly thereafter, he began a second career teaching high school mathematics first at McIntosh Academy and then Camden County High School. In part because of his efforts, a number of his students entered the military academies or other military service. After his second retirement, he frequently returned to Chippewa Falls for hunting adventures with his son Kenn, brother, Duane Frederick Bruley, and other family members.

All who knew him understood that his faith and his family were uppermost in his heart. With his wife, he completed the Disciple ministry classes through Wesley Methodist at Frederica, faithfully served weekly at Manna House with his Sunday school class, and until completion of the VA clinic in Brunswick, drove disabled veterans to the Dublin VA on a regular basis.

Although he lost Carole November 11, 2012, he remained fiercely independent and determined to make the very best of the remainder of his life, even taking up yoga to keep his Parkinson’s disease at bay. He led by example through his deeds – never wanting to draw attention to himself. He focused upon the good in people – often commenting that “if you look for the bad in people, you will find it.” He loved animals of all kinds – with a special place carved out for his rescue kitten, Prissy.

Kenn is survived by his three children: Melinda Bruley White, an attorney with The Ligon Firm, P.C. (Luke); Dr. Melissa Bruley Duncan, a radiologist with Eastern Radiologists in Greenville, NC (Don); Kenneth Coleman Bruley, a patent attorney with Nelson, Mullins, Riley, and Scarborough in Atlanta, GA (Alison); and nine grandchildren: Lucas and Coleman White, Thomas, Cate, Auldon, and James Duncan, and Coleman, Knox, and Mae Bruley. He is also survived by his best friend and brother, Duane Frederick Bruley, and his nephews Scott, Randall (Eileen) and Mark Bruley and their families.

Arrangements are with Edo Miller and Sons Funeral Home. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to FaithWorks Ministry in Brunswick, Georgia (https://faithworksministry.org/), the Michael J. Fox Foundation to fight Parkinson’s Disease (michaeljfox.org), or Lustgarten Foundation for Pancreatic Research (www.lustgarten.org ).