John Q. Bruce Jr.

Born August 27, 1941, in Kansas City, Missouri, to John Quincy Bruce, Sr. and Dorothy (Parker) Bruce, John Q. Bruce, Jr.'s upbringing imbued him with a particular brand of midwestern charm and humor that put everyone who met him at ease. From early childhood, a love of performing was innate to his nature.

A perennial student looking for the answer to "What am I doing for the rest of my life?", John served as a graduate assistant in theatre at the University of Missouri-Kansas City (UMKC) in the mid- to late-1960s. He realized what he wanted to do was act and act big; act everywhere; to be a career working actor. But, with typical midwestern practicality, he knew he needed a safety net degree and completed a Master's degree in history. Only John understood that logic, as he continued to consistently focus on university theatre productions. John's enthusiasm for stagecraft and his absolute commitment to everything theatre was inspiring.

In the fall of 1969, John played Horace Vandergelder in UMKC's production of "Hello, Dolly." That show was chosen for a USO tour to entertain US service members. The tour played at several bases in the continental United States and continued to US bases in the Northern Command – Labrador, Newfoundland, and Greenland – in pitch black, freezing cold December 1969-January 1970. One of the important jobs for John, and every male member of the cast, was to keep an eye on the theatre-loving GIs when they tried to chat up the lovely female members of the cast. John was chivalry on alert near the Arctic Circle. That chivalry paid off, with an eventual decade-long marriage to costar Sheila Garry, and the birth in 1980 of their daughter Parker (Bruce) Sanchez, whose earliest memories are of the sounds of laughter and camaraderie in theatre dressing rooms and stage wings.

In the late 1960s and early 1970s, John was a company member at the Missouri Repertory Theatre in Kansas City. He began as an Equity apprentice, later got his Equity card, and worked as both an actor and a stage manager with the company. John also performed with Vanguard Theatre, the touring branch of MRT, taking live theatre to communities and schools across rural Missouri, a harbinger of his future career in education.

While at MRT, John worked with and became friends with Vincent Dowling. Vincent was an exuberant Irish actor/director who had worked extensively with the Abbey Theatre in Dublin before coming to America. Vincent had the Irish gift of gab and persuasion; John's superpower was charm. When Vincent and John were together it was captivating to watch and listen to these two verbal gymnasts charm the pants off (or theatre investment dollars from) anyone listening.

In 1976, when Vincent took the job as Artistic Director at the Great Lakes Shakespeare Festival, he invited John to leave New York City, where he had been working, and come to Cleveland to join the company. John had worked off- and off-off-Broadway in NYC as well as nabbing some national TV commercials. Especially memorable is an early, hilarious FedEx commercial highlighting a fast-talking John Bruce. John accepted Vincent's offer, and for years split his time between NYC and Cleveland.

The two men remained friends and collaborators over the years. After Vincent retired from the Great Lakes Shakespeare Festival and moved to Chester, Massachusetts, he initiated the Miniature Theatre of Chester in 1990. Of course, acting favorite and friend John Bruce performed there in the 1990s.

It was through his work at the Great Lakes Shakespeare Festival that he met Cleveland native Andrea D. Krist. As an arts fundraiser, Andrea was already immersed in the theatre culture of Cleveland. Their worlds blended beautifully and they married, with Andrea bringing her daughter, Andrea Jr., into John's life. It was during his life with "The Andreas" that he entered into his second career as a teacher and administrator at University School in Shaker Heights. He taught middle school English and Social Studies (finally that history degree was going to pay off!). He also staged many theatre productions at US and discovered that being a teacher allowed him to create his own stage on a daily basis. He would always famously recite, "I can only be expected to be the maturity level of the boys that I teach." At the beginning of each year, John told his students' parents, "Some days we will learn something, and some days we won't, but we'll always have a good time." Many years after he retired, he would still light up when discussing his time at US, and it was not uncommon for him to hear "Mr. Bruce, Mr. Bruce!" when out, only to discover it was a former student excitedly telling him about how much his teaching and mentorship inspired him.

After retirement, acting yet again brought the right people to him at the right time. John auditioned for, and was cast as, Harry Mitchell (a role he loved and had done before) in the 2010 production of the Australian play "The Sum of Us" at Weathervane Playhouse's Dietz Theater in Akron, Ohio. Although she hadn't auditioned, Margo Parker was asked to read for Joyce Johnson, opposite John. Whenever Margo reminisced about the show, she would mention that John had to carry her onstage for their scene, knowing this was John's cue to tell everyone that his back had never been the same! Friendship grew into love. After Margo retired in 2013, they began their life together in Bainbridge, Ohio, which also included performing together at Aurora Community Theater and in "Murder by the Falls" at Chagrin Valley Little Theater. She always said that she kept him around because, "He made me laugh!" John's family grew to include Margo's children and grandchildren, and they made many trips to Virginia and New York State to visit them. Over the past five years, John faced many health challenges, which he handled with humor and aplomb. His desire was always to end his life at home, looking at the beautiful view of the woods from the picture window in his living room, which he did.

John's family and friends will miss his constant presence, humor and wit. He always had a smile on his face and was ready to entertain. He was a treasure to everyone he knew and meant so much to so many. He was predeceased by his parents, younger brother David Bruce, and wife Andrea D. Krist. He leaves behind his devoted partner, Margo Parker; his daughters and their husbands, Andrea and Kraig Solak of Auburn Township, OH and Parker and Pablo Sanchez of Hardwick, NJ; Melanie and Jake Fox of Blacksburg, VA; and Bryan Czibesz and Lynn Batchelder of Stone Ridge, NY. His grandchildren who adored him are Ava, Andrew, Avery, Duncan, Zora, and Vivienne. Dogs that he snuck bacon and cheeseburgers to are Oscar, Casey and Dale – and they are forever grateful!

A celebration of life is currently being planned for all those whose lives John touched. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made in memory of John Q. Bruce, Jr. to Great Lakes Theater, Attn: Advancement Office, 1501 Euclid Avenue, Suite 300, Cleveland, Ohio 44115, or https://www.greatlakestheater.org/support/donate