Bruce Abbott

Bruce Halford Abbott, age 66, passed away unexpectedly at Riverside Methodist Hospital Saturday September 13, 2025, due to complications from a scheduled heart surgery. Bruce's inurnment will be held at Old Union Cemetery, Columbus, Ohio at 10am Monday, September 22nd. Bruce was born March 23,1959, in Columbus Ohio, the son of Robert King and Ruthanne Abbott, and is a 1977 graduate of Whetstone High School. For decades, Bruce was a familiar and inviting presence in the restaurant business. Coming up in the 70s and 80s with TGI Fridays in its heyday, and Yesterday's in Ft. Lauderdale, Bruce developed a passion for wine. Furthering that, he studied wine extensively in France and California, becoming a distinguished sommelier and captaining the wine programs at Tucci's Dublin and Hills Market Worthington. Whether building private wine cellars, adding the perfect vintage to special occasions, or mentoring countless young people in the industry, Bruce was trusted and loved. He will be deeply missed. Bruce was also a collector--a love likely instilled by his father, a collector and restorer of Packard's. This love began with old magazine ads and culminated in Abbott's Antique and Paper Emporium in the Short North. A quiet scholar of collectables, Bruce ran many businesses dealing in them for years. "Old Ads" was a staple at the Ohio State Fair, Flowerchild Vintage, and several area antique stores. For Bruce, life was a love of games and friends, and he was constantly out and about, enjoying weekly poker night, teeing it up on the golf course, racking it up in his pool hall, and agonizing over the Browns with friends with that booming groan of his that could make you laugh at even the worst interceptions. Bruce was a consummate storyteller with a knowing laugh, a friend to all, the stalwart of Cooke Road--a guy you could always drop in on--his chair is empty now but his spirit will remain with us forever. Bruce is survived by brothers Dave and Stephen, sister Sharon, nieces and nephews: Bill, Anne, Leandra, Austin, Greg and Alia, Omar, and Deena Lynn. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that you raise a glass of your favorite wine in Bruce's honor and share a story about a time with him.