Leo Frederik Bruce

Leo Fredrik Bruce loved his family and was a good man. Over the years, he was a pioneering missionary leader, a budget analyst, and an artist; he passed away on September 16, 2023, surrounded by his family, following complications related to a stroke. He was 70.

Leo was born on January 3, 1953, in Furstenfeldbruck, Germany. He was married to the love of his life and best friend, Wanda (Skelton) Bruce, for 45 years. Besides his wife, Leo is survived by his two sons, Joshua Bruce (Alyssa Gibbs) and Jonathan Bruce (Jennifer Black), as well as siblings Robert (Susan) Bruce, Michael (Lorrie) Bruce, Martha (Rick) Smullens, and Marie Sisario. He was preceded in death by his brother Richard Bruce and his cocker spaniel Bella, who preceded him in death by only six weeks.

Leo was the son of Marie (Jankovic) Bruce and Donald N. Bruce. He spent his early years in Germany, where his father was stationed after The War. In the late 50s, his family relocated to San Antonio, Texas, and ultimately moved to Gloversville, NY, where he attended junior and senior high, graduating in 1971 from Gloversville High School. While in high school, Leo was known for being physically fit. He received the distinction of being “The Most Physically Fit” in the state of New York, with a plaque noting the honor in the former YMCA building in Gloversville, NY. He won multiple first-place awards as a competitive swimmer. Leo also played soccer and was a lifeguard at the local YMCA. A lifelong friend, several years younger than Leo, remembered him as “the stud” that everyone looked up to in high school and at the YMCA.

Leo joined the Navy and served from 1971-1975. He served aboard the USS Midway (aircraft carrier) and later on the USS Abenaki (a fleet ocean tugboat). He had several jobs aboard ship, the most fulfilling being the facilitator for navy personnel getting their GED while serving aboard ship. In addition, Leo had a renewal of faith while serving in the Navy. The change was so dramatic that Leo went from being involved in less-than-noble activities to being the ship’s volunteer chaplain during his final year of service. It also set the trajectory for the remainder of his life.

Following his time in the Navy, Leo moved to Birmingham, AL, where he attended Samford University to study theology and enter the ministry. However, while at Samford, he realized his strengths were meeting social needs rather than “behind the pulpit,” as he often said. While at Samford, Leo met his future wife, Wanda Skelton. A relationship that started as “good friends” became a deep and abiding love. Leo transferred to The University of Alabama in Birmingham, where he received his Bachelor of Science in Social Work in August 1979. He applied for graduate work and was accepted into the School of Social Service Administration at the University of Chicago. Leo graduated with a Masters in Social Work Administration in June 1981. Following graduate school, he was hired as a budget analyst in the Illinois Governor’s Office of Management and Budget, where he helped oversee multi-million dollar Medicare and Medicaid budgets for the State of Illinois.

While living in Springfield, Illinois, Leo became involved with Springfield Southern Baptist Church, where he served as a deacon and a Sunday school teacher. It was here that Leo and his wife Wanda felt called to become missionaries.

They were appointed missionaries following the birth of their first child, Joshua, in 1984. They served first in Israel, working among Palestinian peoples. Their second son, Jonathan, was born in 1987 while the family lived in Haifa, Israel. In 1989, the Bruce family left the Middle East and moved to Hong Kong, where they focused on an Unreached People Group in Asia. Leo and his family returned to the U.S. in 1998, settling in Woodstock, GA. In 1999, Leo started his own ministry focusing on discipleship training and missions. Leo received his Doctorate of Ministry from Bakke Graduate University in Seattle, Washington, during this time. Leo’s passion was providing training to the church that would lead to authentic discipleship and transform the way missions are done and, thereby, the church itself into truly being “the body of Christ.” He worked at this until his retirement in 2015.

Leo’s wife, Wanda, often said her favorite way to describe Leo was, “He’s a really good man.” When she first met him, she soon realized that Leo would literally give someone the shirt off his back if they needed it more than he did. That sense of goodness that sprang from his faith stayed with him for the rest of his life. It demonstrated itself in his call to missions and how he lived his authentic self throughout his life.

He loved his family above all else. Some of his favorite times were spent with his sons. When they were younger, he would read to them at every opportunity he had. Jonathan’s favorites were from the Narnia series, when he would use his deep voice to narrate Aslan. He also loved building Legos, watching the Star Wars movies over the years, and later, helping them cart around band instruments and attending band concerts and competitions.

Leo loved movies; his favorites included Monty Python and the Holy Grail, the Princess Bride, and all things British TV. He enjoyed listening to anything Bob Dylan and related to how Dylan looked at life. Gifting Leo anything related to Bob Dylan, especially concert tickets, made him smile. His favorite concerts were seeing Dylan in Hong Kong ‘94, front row seats to see him at the Fox in Atlanta, and taking his son Josh to see his first concert ever, Bob Dylan’s Nashville Skyline Revisited, live in Nashville in 1999.

Leo was known for his baking skills, excelling in baking cheesecakes, artisan breads, and his own oatmeal chocolate chip cookie recipe. To be honest, he could bake just about anything.

One of Leo’s fondest memories of his time in Woodstock, GA, was joining an art class that was part of the Woodstock Arts program. He was the only man in a class full of ladies with whom he bonded. One day, when asked how art class was going, Leo replied, “I think I’m one of the girls now .” We laughed because it was so true; he loved his “art tribe.”

Leo had a life verse that he lived by - Matthew 5:16: “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in Heaven.” Leo’s life and legacy are rooted in that verse. Whoever knew Leo was aware of his deep faith and his commitment to being his authentic self in Christ. Leo loved his family with an all-encompassing love. He always stayed true to that inner self that demonstrated itself in Leo being “a really good man.”

A Celebration of Life will be held at a later date. The family would like to give special thanks to the staff at the Hospice of the Golden Isles, who held us up with love and compassion as we went through some of the darkest days of our lives. Memorial contributions may be made in place of flowers to the Hospice of the Golden Isles, whose mission is to provide the best care when it matters the most regardless of ability to pay, or to Woodstock Arts, in honor of Leo’s art tribe.