Richard Bruce Steinheimer

Beloved husband, father, father-in-law, grandfather, brother, uncle, and friend, [Richard] Bruce Steinheimer died at the age of 78 in his Los Angeles, CA home on November 11, 2023 after a nearly ten-year journey with cancer.

He is survived by his wife of 44 years Marilynn, children Garth and Zoë, granddaughter River, nephew and niece Matt and Libby, great niece and nephew Chance and Wemberly, great niece Kelsey, and sisters Sara Mary and Sue. He was preceded in death by his sisters Vickie Lee and Alice.

Bruce will be remembered for his warmth, caring nature, sense of humor and mischief, technical and mechanical genius, creativity, dedication to his work, and the countless positive impacts he made on those who were lucky enough to know him.

He was born on October 4, 1945 in Reno, NV, not far from a ranch his family owned in Genoa. He was largely raised by his Irish grandmother in the Bay Area with his sister Vickie Lee, and attended Lowell High School in San Francisco. From a young age he loved engines, pyrotechnics, photography, and film. He attended University of Oregon where he studied journalism before traveling in Europe and living in New York. He eventually moved to Los Angeles to pursue a career in the film industry, where he met his wife Marilynn and continued to reside the majority of his life.

He spent forty years doing mechanical Special Effects, and often expressed gratitude that he was able to travel the world, work alongside so many skilled and unique people, and have a profession that fulfilled his sense of purpose. He had a passion not only for pyrotechnics, but also for the art of filmmaking, and was particularly proud of his work with Martin Scorsese in the films Gangs of New York, The Aviator, Shutter Island, The Wolf of Wall Street, and Silence.

In his later years, he spent significant time farming on his apple and olive orchard in Sebastopol, CA with his wife, where he produced olive oil, fixed engines, and joyfully tended to his land. His many interests included cooking, Italy, watches, classic cars, trains, airplanes, rockets, outer space, guitar music, World War II history, and politics.

He also spent large amounts of time with family and friends in his retirement, and was very intentional about putting time and effort into his relationships. Bruce will be missed, loved, and remembered fondly by the many people who knew him across his long and rich lifespan.

At his request, no memorial will take place. In lieu of flowers, contributions can be made to the Prostate Cancer Foundation at pcf.org.