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Bruce Cummings Obituary
Bruce Cummings
Veteran Technology
Marketer
"When it's my turn to go, I want it to happen fast. I don't want to hang around any longer than necessary," Bruce Cummings told a friend on July 4. And so it was. He died on July 30 in Moraga, CA, a few days after being diagnosed with lung cancer. He would have been 64 today.
Recognized internationally in the high-tech industry for his channel marketing expertise, Cummings' career began at Kawasaki. By age 30, he was a director of marketing at Vivitar. But it was his role as vice president of marketing at Softsel, the largest computer products distributor later renamed Merisel, that catapulted his career in technology. He was also an executive at Samna, Hercules, and Macromedia. In 1993, he co-founded Portrait Displays, Inc., today the leading provider of embedded software for display technologies.
In 1997, he formed a channel marketing consultancy, BCA. For over a decade, he helped major companies identify and implement multi-channel strategies and tactics all over the world.
Believing that knowledge should be shared rather than hoarded, Cummings loved mentoring.
He also shared his passion for travel and photography with Billie, his wife of 41 years, and daughter Jenny Cummings Wong. See legacy.com for more.
To plant trees in memory, please visit the Sympathy Store.
Memories and Condolences
for Bruce Cummings
B ob Snyder
October 21, 2024
Hey, Bruce! Still missing your friendship!
Bob Snyder
October 21, 2023
Bruce, still think about you and miss you, pal!
Bruce Cummings
May 27, 2011
sorry to hear about your loss from Bruce Cummings of las vegas NV
Bob Snyder
December 16, 2010
No candle ever burnt as bright as you, my friend. I am already missing our annual meetings in Europe. And I never told you how much it meant to me the time you came down to Vegas to see me. Bruce, not only do I have great professional respect for you...you were also one of the people I always looked forward to seeing each and every time. How rare is that? Now I can look up to heaven and know the Almighty is happy to have you back-- to advise on recruiting and engaging heavenly partners. Here's a glass of Tasker to you, my friend. Save me a place as usual. PAX VOBISCUM
Newton
November 15, 2010
To the Cummings family, sorry for your loss, may GOD give you his LOVE, PEACE, and STRENGTH in this time of sorrow. May he R.I.P <3
Renee Courington
November 1, 2010
Bruce was my boss at Macromedia. My favorite memory of him was very soon after he joined the company, I had a many-thousand dollar expense report for him to approve. Normally this was a line-by-line review to get it signed-off. Bruce signed it without even looking at it and said “Renee, if I have to worry about your expense reports, we have a MUCH bigger problem!”
During the time I worked for him, Bruce was a strong leader – demanding the best from all of us in marketing, but he was kind and always treated us with respect. As was usual in those days of technology, Macromedia exhibited at trade shows from Las Vegas to Boston and many places in between. Bruce was hands-off enough to let us get the job done, but always included the young marketing staffers in the industry events he attended. He felt that networking was important and he introduced us to everyone he knew- which was just about everybody.
When it was time for me to leave Macromedia and continue to build my career, Bruce was the person who helped me find my next position. Bruce was a great mentor to me and I appreciated his career advice all along the way.
Doug Cummings
October 28, 2010
Big Brother: Happy Birthday! Every year for as long as I can remember we called each other on our birthdays, and commiserated and then laughed about how old we were getting. I know you’re out there somewhere, and you saw how your friends and family celebrated your life and expressed their love for you after you left us. It was a great celebration and I know you were there. We all miss you - but your laugh, wisdom, intensity, and love for family are with us always.
Sharyn Fitzpatrick Skudneski
October 27, 2010
Billie, my condolences for your loss. I am sorry I didn't know that Bruce had passed away till I saw it in the Mercury News today. I worked with Bruce at Softsel/Merisel. I always had the greatest respect for his talent and approach to life. I too lost my spouse to cancer last year. I miss him every day. Sharyn Fitzpatrick Skudneski
Billie Cummings
October 27, 2010
Happy Birthday, Darling!
We miss you terribly.
I want to thank all our friends and family who came to our "Celebration of Life" memorial party for you in August. It was wonderful! You would have loved all the special stories everyone told about you, and the "Scotch-Tasting" at the end.
I want to thank my daughter Jenny, her husband Aaron Wong, Bruce's brother Doug, and dear friend Myrna Nickelson for their help during this dark time.
Bruce, I hope that all your friends will send me a "story" about their friendship with you. We are putting together a book with all those wonderful memories, so you will never be forgotten. They can send them to me at [email protected]
All my love,honey.
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