Bruce Richard Thomas

Passed away peacefully at home on March 26th, 2026 at the age of 86, after a two-year dance with acute myeloid leukemia. 

In one-room schoolhouse in New England, a young Bruce gained a love of books that blossomed into a life driven by curiosity. The intimacy of that experience informed his focus on the individual as central within an institutional context and framed his career of work on education, learning, labor, child welfare and criminal justice.  His desire to uncover the “whys” in his professional and personal pursuits led to connections that grew into so many, many friendships throughout his lifetime. He attended Exeter Academy, Harvard and Oxford Universities, yet it was what he learned outside of those institutions –in that small schoolhouse, on a Great Lakes freighter or paddling on a river that most profoundly impacted his life and work.

Bruce was preceded in death by his long-term partner Karen Davis (2020), and is survived by his children Erin (Grace) & Sam, their spouses Kevin and Kristen and his granddaughters Aderyn and Lillian. He had a seemingly endless list of dear friends, including his devoted group of river explorers - the “Canoe Group”.  

A celebration of Bruce’s life will be announced by his family in the near future. Details will become available in his obituary at www.feerickfuneralhome.com

In lieu of flowers or gifts in Bruce's honor, friends can make a donation to the Chicago Psychoanalytic Institute in support of the "the Holding Circle" program which focuses on bringing therapy into schools and of which Bruce was one of the founders; https://chicagoanalysis.org/support/