William Bruce

William Earl ("Bill") Bruce, age 86, fell asleep in the Lord at St. Anthony Hospital in Lakewood, Colorado on October 30, 2022, surrounded by family. He exhibited great courage in the face of a terminal diagnosis of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, which he received just one month prior to his death.

Bill was born on September 8, 1936 in Sparta, Wisconsin, where he spent his childhood. In 1954, he moved to Golden, Colorado to attend the Colorado School of Mines. He pledged to the Beta Theta Pi fraternity and, in 1959, earned the degree of Engineer of Mines.

In 1962, he began working for the U.S. Department of Labor and, in particular, the Bureau of Mines (which later became the Mine Safety and Health Administration). Originally posted in Minneapolis, Minnesota, he worked in Washington, D.C. and, later, at the Federal Center in Lakewood. An expert on ventilation, Bill was dedicated to improving working conditions for underground miners. He responded to mine accidents and disasters, investigating their causes and proposing protocols to prevent future casualties. His work, which eventually cost him his hearing, took him all over the country, on official tours of India and the Soviet Union, and before Congress, where he gave testimony about mining regulations and how to best protect miners. He retired in 1992 as Chief of the Ventilation Division of MSHA's Denver branch.

Bill was a consummate provider who generously supported his family and friends and gave freely to his church as well as numerous charities. A member of the American Hellenic Educational Progressive Association, Bill was a cat-lover, an exceptional handyman, and an avid outdoorsman and gardener. He had an inquisitive mind, loved reading and conversation, was absorbed by genealogy, and could speak authoritatively on a great range of subjects.

Bill was preceded in death by his father, William Robert Bruce; his stepmother, Lillian Bruce (née Peterson), who raised him from the age of three; his birth mother, Esther Bruce (née Weed), who fell asleep in the Lord when Bill was two years old; his siblings, Barbara (Jefferson) Jackson (née Bruce) and Charles Bruce; his brothers-in-law, Grant Jackson, Earl Jefferson, Harry Artemis, and George Artemis; and his sisters-in-law, Alyce Artemis (née Fotinos) and Joy Artemis (née Worthen). He is survived by his wife, Mary Bruce (née Artemis); his children, Cheryl (Charlie) Hornett (née Tripp), William Steven (Jani) Bruce, and Teresa (Ahmed White) Bruce; his grandson, William Howard (Aleaha Heye) Bruce; his great-grandson, Marcus Bruce; his sister-in-law, Carole (Charles) Bruce (née Gilbertson); his nephews, James (Teresa) Jefferson, William (Kim) Jefferson, Thomas (Peggy) Bruce, Stephen (Mary Beth) Artemis, Chris (Nancy) Artemis, Kent (Maureen) Jefferson, and Andrew (Marny) Artemis; and his nieces, Anne (Pam Miller) Bruce, Tina Artemis, Elisabeth Peterson (née Bruce), and Stephanie (Charles) Winfrey (née Artemis).

Services will be held at the Assumption Greek Orthodox Cathedral, 4610 E. Alameda Ave., Denver, on Monday, November 7, with the trisagion to begin at 10:30 a.m. and the funeral at 11:00 a.m. Interment will follow at Fairmount Cemetery. Memorial contributions in Bill’s name may be sent to the Assumption Cathedral or St. Catherine Greek Orthodox Church in Greenwood Village.