Dr. William Bruce Russell Sr.

1928 - 2025

Dr. William Bruce Russell, Sr., M.D., known to many as Bruce, passed away on February 12, 2025, at his home in Baltimore City, Maryland, following an extended illness.

Born on October 24, 1928, in Harmony Village, Middlesex County, Virginia, Bruce was the youngest of six children of the Reverend George Stephen Russell and Addie Slack Johnson Russell. He spent his early years in Hampton, Virginia, where his father pastored Queen Street Baptist Church.

Bruce graduated from George P. Phenix High School in 1945 and pursued pre-medical studies at Virginia Union University. While there, he was active in the college choir, Student Council, and Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. He earned his Bachelor of Science degree in biology in 1949 before attending Howard University College of Medicine, where he specialized in orthopedic surgery. He received his M.D. in 1953 and later became certified by the American Board of Orthopaedic Surgeons.

In 1955, Bruce was drafted into the U.S. Army and served as a captain in the Army Medical Corps at Fort Devens, Massachusetts, and Fort Drum, New York. After completing his service in 1957, he resumed his medical residency in Washington, D.C.

Bruce met Alice Marie Ward at Freedmen's Hospital, where he was a medical student and she a student nurse. They married on June 21, 1958, and eventually settled in Baltimore, Maryland, where Bruce established a private orthopedic practice. Over his long career, he held hospital privileges, consulted for the Veterans Administration and Social Security Administration, and provided medical care to inmates and mental health patients. He was active in numerous professional organizations and served as a gubernatorial appointee on the Maryland State Retirement and Pension System's Agency Medical Board from 2000 to 2017.

Bruce and Alice raised four children: Robin Russell Allen, William Bruce Russell, Jr., Stephen Ward Russell, and Jeffrey Alan Russell (Jefferson). They had two grandsons, Robert Garner Allen IV and Richard Alister Ward Allen. Alice preceded Bruce in death in April 1993.

A man of deep faith, Bruce was a devoted member of the Church of the Holy Trinity for over five decades. He found joy in reading, crossword puzzles, singing in the church choir, and traveling for medical conferences. He retired from private practice at age 65 but continued working as a staff physician for another 25 years until health concerns led to his final retirement at age 91.

A viewing will be held on Friday, March 14, 2025, from 4:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. at Wylie Funeral Home, 9200 Liberty Road, Randallstown, MD. A wake will take place on Saturday, March 15, 2025, at 9:00 a.m., followed by the funeral service at 9:30 a.m., with livestreaming available on the Wylie Funeral Home YouTube page. Interment will follow at Arbutus Memorial Park.

Bruce's legacy of compassion and dedication to healing will be cherished by all who knew him.