BRUCE R. BESSER

BRUCE R. BESSER
Bruce Robbins Besser passed away peacefully on February 24, 2026, after a 10-year battle with Parkinson's disease. Up until the end, Bruce maintained his marvelous sense of humor, good nature, love of family and friends, and expressed gratitude for a life full of wonderful and varied experiences.
Bruce's life can best be encapsulated by the words: family, work, philanthropy, and vision. In his almost 90 years of life, he experienced an abundance of each.
Bruce was born November 22, 1936, in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. At an early age, he developed a keen ambition to succeed, and credits his stepfather, Lester Besser, with making this dream come true. Bruce graduated from the University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School of Business and Finance. These were some of his most formative years, when he gathered the skills necessary for his later success in real estate development. He greatly enjoyed his years there, serving as the university's first Jewish cheerleader, participating in the Mask and Wig shows, two leadership societies, and pledging into the Phi-Epsilon-Pi fraternity.
After college, he made his way to Evanston, Illinois, where he served as a major developer for properties in Chicago and the surrounding area. He also met and married Kate McConnell there, where they lived for several years, working and serendipitously, taking on an exchange student, who became a surrogate daughter, Takako Ueki of Japan.
In later years, Bruce and Katie lived in Breckenridge, Colorado; La Jolla, California; London, England, and eventually, Santa Fe, until Katie's death in 2005. He stayed in Santa Fe, embracing it as his permanent home, and continued to develop properties in Santa Fe and Albuquerque. Santa Fe is where he was truly connected with the community, primarily through his roles as both member and chair of the Santa Fe Community College Governing Board, and also through leadership roles with the Citizen's Oversight Committee, the Healthy Tomorrow's Van, and the Contract for a Better Tomorrow Program through the Santa Fe Community College Foundation.
He has helped many students and citizens through the years with a generous philanthropic spirit and has always been passionately committed to helping others achieve their school, work and life goals. He shared these values with fellow board member, Carole Brito, who joined him in his leadership work, and whom he later married in 2015. Bruce then became the beloved stepfather to Carole's two daughters, and was thrilled when he became a grandfather.
The new couple enjoyed traveling, playing tennis and were active in the Sangre de Cristo Tennis Club. They also loved their time at home with beloved pets, most notably Brooke, their Portuguese Water Dog, and all the fun times spent with family and friends. Bruce was known for telling a great joke, though often he could not get through the whole joke without breaking into infectious laughter, having to recover before delivering the punchline.
Bruce truly embodied the adage of a life well-lived. He appreciated all that life gave him. Even in his diminished state near the end of his life, he never failed to express gratitude for the help offered to him. Until he lost the ability to speak, he would express how grateful he was to have Lived a long Life full of wonderful experiences, loving family members, many good friends and compassionate caregivers.
Bruce is preceded in death by his mother and stepfather, Beverly and Lester Besser, and first wife Kate McConnell. He is survived by his wife, Carole Brito and step daughters, Renada Brito, Scottsdale and Alicia Brito (Aaron Lombardo), Santa Fe; granddaughters, Mia DiGiuseppe, Scottsdale, and Amara and Avalon Lombardo, Santa Fe; surrogate daughter, Takako Ueki, Japan; sister and brother-in-law, Gloria and Dave Brazda, Santa Fe; brother-in-law, Frank Lawrence, Oklahoma; brother-in-law, Ed Rolison, Albuquerque and numerous nieces, nephews and cousins.
Bruce's family is so thankful for the loving care he received from Dr. Joshua Brown; Nurse, Teresa Gallegos; The Caring Companions-NM, and Del Corazon Hospice.
Friends and family are invited to attend Bruce's Viewing on March 5, 2026, from 3-5pm at Berardinelli Family Funeral Service, 1399 Luisa Street. Santa Fe. NM. There will be future Celebration of Life Ceremony held in conjunction with the release of the memoir which Bruce completed just prior to his death.
Memorial donations may be made to: Bruce Besser's Presidential Endowment Scholarship Fund at the Santa Fe Community College Foundation.