Obituary of Bruce Ginder Bleecker

Bruce Ginder Bleecker, a man who shaped his career with his art, passed away peacefully at his home in Santa Cruz, California on Sunday evening, February 11, 2018. He was a remarkable 93-year-old man. He was preceded in death by his first wife of 22 years, Betty Klepper Bleecker, his second wife of 46 years, Adelaide "Laddie" (Glass) Bleecker, and son David. He is survived by his daughters Janet Bleecker and Robyn (Bleecker) Shiely, son Mark, stepdaughter Cindy (Glass) Round, stepsons Michael and Stephen Glass, 15 grandchildren, and 10 great-grandchildren. Bruce was born in Summit, New Jersey, on October 2, 1924. After graduating high school, he joined the Army Air Corp during WWII as a Radar Technician stationed in England. He worked on B-24 bombers and served on flights for food relief over Holland. After the war Bruce worked for Bell Telephone Laboratories in New Jersey for several years before heading west. He moved to Los Altos, California with the beginnings of his family in 1952 to work at Stanford University in the Tube Construction Laboratory as a glass-blower. Seeing great potential in him, he was recruited by Litton Industries as manager of the CW Magnetron Assembly Department. In 1958 Bruce was hired by Watkins-Johnson where he moved up the ranks during his 30-year career. He managed their Manufacturing Department, took on the role of Vice President at their subsidiary Stewart Engineering Company in Scotts Valley, and retired in 1988 after many years as head of their International Division. Aside from being a remarkable businessman, Bruce was an avid tennis player and fisherman. He loved traveling the western states, especially Yosemite, the Sawtooth Mountains in Idaho and fishing the Stanislaus River in California. However, his happy place was always at home with his family in Santa Cruz. Bruce reflected his love of nature in his art by creating beautiful paintings, carvings, and Papier-Mache figures of the birds and animals he often saw outside his home. A celebration of Bruce's life will be held at Oakwood Memorial Park, 3301 Paul Sweet Road, Santa Cruz, California, on Friday, February 23, 2018 at 11:00 a.m. preceded by a viewing at 10:00 a.m. Reception to follow nearby. Donations to The Society of the Cincinnati or National Alliance on Mental Illness Santa Cruz County (NAMISCC) are preferred in lieu of flowers.