Bruce McKean

1951 - 2022

Bruce McKean
May 7, 2022
South Portland, Maine - Bruce Ferguson McKean, 70, a teacher, musician and Raleigh native, died quietly in his sleep on Saturday May 7 near his home in South Portland, ME. The cause was heart disease.
Bruce was born August 15, 1951 at Dix Hospital, while his father was a professor at North Carolina State. The family later moved to upstate New York before settling in Cedar Falls, IA in 1967 when his father joined the faculty at the University of Northern Iowa.
Bruce competed in sports in high school, winning the state championship in the individual medley for the swimming team in his senior year. He was also a musician and guitarist who was deeply engaged by the thrilling music of those days.
He attended Grinnell College for one year and then transferred to the University of Iowa in Iowa City, where he graduated with a degree in English.
An excellent musician, Bruce played as lead guitarist in bands during college and for many years afterwards, and also performed as a soloist in bars and clubs all over the state.
Though he lacked formal training, Bruce taught himself to play note-for-note the soaring rock guitar solos of the early and mid 1970s. And he took the job seriously – practicing daily and rehearsing for hours whenever the band was putting in new songs or preparing for a gig.
But the life of a musician proved hard. Bruce and his bandmates couldn't afford roadies. So, typically, they would load their heavy gear into Bruce's big van by themselves, drive hours to the engagement, play all night, and then re-load the van and drive home – sometimes in driving rain or snow.
After graduation, while continuing with music, Bruce began a separate career as a middle school English teacher. He also coached basketball and track and led a group of students in a band that played at local events.
Bruce taught for 15 years before health problems forced his exit from the profession, though he continued playing music and taught private guitar lessons.
In 2007, he moved to the Portland, Maine area where he married, Karen Canter of South Portland, ME.
He enjoyed Maine for the food, the crisp weather and the life. Bruce and Karen loved to attend Sea Dog baseball games in the summer, and followed the South Portland High School basketball team during the colder months.
Recently, however, his health declined and he spent several weeks during April in Maine Medical Center in Portland, before transferring to the Gosnell Memorial Hospice House in nearby Scarborough, ME, where he passed away.
Bruce is survived by his wife, Karen Canter of South Portland; his brother Kevin (Pamela) McKean of San Francisco; step siblings Heather Canter Wheeler of Urbandale, Lynn Canter of Elmira, NY, and Gerrit Canter of Woodway, TX; step-children Rilla Erickson Berry of Rutland, MA and Dana Erickson of Carmel, ME; and niece Kyle McKean of Brooklyn, NY.
Services and interment will be held in Winter Park, FL at a future date.