William Billington Bruce (“Bill”), 75, passed away on October 12, 2018. Bill was the beloved husband of Lois, adored father of William Jr. (Amanda), cherished brother of Bobby Bruce, Linda (Tony) Stout, Vicki Spann, and Suzanne Parker, and irreplaceable brother-in-law of Louise Helms, Shirlon Griffith, and Mary Helms. He also leaves behind a host of loving nieces, nephews, cousins, and friends.
Bill was born in Nashville to Harry and Henrietta Bruce. After losing his father when he was young, Bill had to grow up fast. He began delivering newspapers in Green Hills, and he held that job throughout college to pay for his education and to help pay for expenses at home.
In 1961, Bill graduated from Father Ryan High School where he gained many lifelong friends. In 1966, he graduated from Vanderbilt University where he served as the manager of the football and baseball teams. Bill would laughingly recall that the baseball coach would put him in the game when the chances of winning were slim.
After college, Bill entered the Air Force to serve his country during the Vietnam War. He was stationed at Westover Air Force Base in Massachusetts and honorably discharged. Bill entered the University of Tennessee Law School and graduated in 1973. While he was in law school, Bill met Lois Helms on a blind date, and they married in 1976. Their son, William Jr., was born in 1983 and immediately became the pride and joy of Bill’s life.
Bill successfully built his own law practice and was a respected attorney in Nashville for nearly four decades. He was a tireless advocate for his clients, and when he was at the courthouse, he never met a stranger. He was also one of the founding members of the Oasis Center in Nashville, an organization established to serve troubled and runaway youths. As a member of the Criminal Justice Act Panel, he represented indigent defendants and was once named the Panel Lawyer of the Year.
Bill was an avid fan of the Nashville Predators and of the Vanderbilt Commodores, especially the football and baseball teams. He was intellectually curious, had an impressive understanding of world affairs, and was a voracious reader with a penchant for William Faulkner and U.S. History. He never passed up Southern cooking, especially his mother’s turnip greens. More than anything, Bill loved his family. He will be dearly missed.
Active pallbearers will be family and friends. Honorary pallbearers will include Cleve Weathers, Harold Gregory, Heather White, Jody Burton, Kathleen Carroll, Dr. Stanley Higgins, Thomas Hollingsworth, and the Father Ryan Class of 1961.
Visitation will be held on Thursday, October 18, from 4:00 pm to 8:00 p.m. at Woodlawn-Roesch-Patton Funeral Home, 660 Thompson Lane, in Nashville. Visitation will also be held at 11:00 a.m. on Friday, October 19, at Christ the King Catholic Church, 3001 Belmont Boulevard, followed by a funeral mass at 1:00 p.m. to celebrate Bill’s life. Burial at Calvary Cemetery will follow the funeral mass.
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