R. Bruce Hutchison Jr. died November 19, 2023, in his 88th year. Bruce was the son of Robert Bruce and Jean Hutchison of New York. He was predeceased by his parents and sister Linda.
Bruce attended Albany Boys Academy and graduated from Tusculum University in Tennessee prior to serving in the US Air Force. He worked in community relations at General Electric and as a radio personality, disc jockey, and television news writer/broadcaster (WRGB).
At age 28, Bruce married and continued an extraordinarily loving partnership with his wife Patricia for 60 years, sharing an appreciation for travel and the arts. In the late 1960s Bruce continued his career in community relations at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.
A decade later he was drawn to a new opportunity in Connecticut where he continued his work as an administrator at Norwalk Hospital and St Vincent’s Medical Center. Through his community involvement, Bruce was a supporter of many charitable events including Swim Across the Sound.
In his retirement, Bruce reignited his music and radio broadcasting passion and regularly went on the air for WSHU, sharing his appreciation of classical music. He frequently attended concerts at Yale, and while in retirement, furthered his knowledge through his readings and history of music classes. Bruce also enjoyed jazz, big band, and pipe organ music and assembled an eclectic collection of vinyl LPs.
Bruce was a talented amateur photographer who developed his own negatives and made prints. Writing was among Bruce’s notable skills — he had a superior command of the English language and exceptional grammar.
Bruce had a fondness for certain automobiles, performing everything from basic to advanced maintenance on several cars including those he acquired during trips across Europe with his wife and later with family. His attention to detail, a can-do attitude, and hands-on abilities also lent well to home maintenance projects and other diverse interests including restoration of furniture and preservation of antiques.
Bruce loved nature and animals, especially dogs. Family activities and outings were of great importance — walking the beaches on Cape Cod, camping, bicycling, canoeing, ice skating and exploring new areas.
A devoted husband and father, Bruce encouraged and strongly supported his children’s and his wife’s individual passions. He got up early many mornings before work to take his boys to hockey practice and spent many hours assisting his wife in the preparation of projects for educational and historical programs at area museums and various volunteer events.
He will be remembered as a principled, kind, patient, refined man who possessed an enviable depth of knowledge and skills.
Bruce is survived by his wife and three sons, Charles, Todd and Andrew (of Monroe) and their families, including five grandchildren.
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