Bruce Klafter

1955 - 2020

Bruce Klafter
Dec. 12, 1955 - Jul. 18, 2020
Bruce Klafter, of San Mateo, California, passed away at home surrounded by his family after an 18-month battle with pancreatic cancer. He was 64.
Bruce Samuel Klafter was born on December 12, 1955, in Chicago, Illinois. He grew up in an apartment in the Hyde Park neighborhood of Chicago where he lived with his parents Herman and Bernice, his older brother Cary, younger sister Andrea, his grandparents and uncle. Summers were spent with his family traveling across the country on roadtrips.
After graduating from University High School in 1972, Bruce attended Tufts University, graduating in 1976 with a degree in city planning. After working as a paralegal back home in Chicago gave him a taste for the law, Bruce's brother Cary convinced him to pursue his legal degree at UC Davis. Bruce received his Juris Doctor from Davis in 1980, and chose to move permanently to the Bay Area, in part because of his appreciation for the lack of freezing-cold winters.

Bruce's professional career began with a focus on environmental law, first at the California Attorney General's office and then at the law firm Orrick. After leaving Orrick for Applied Materials and later Flextronics, he began to transition away from the law and into the fields of environmental health and safety, and then sustainability, which would become the focus for the rest of his career.
Bruce understood that the move towards a more sustainable and equitable future for all required the participation and cooperation of the business world. His colleagues appreciated his calm demeanor and his ability to focus on the problems that really mattered and work toward consensus and real results. He was instrumental in the development of multiple professional organizations, including the Global Reporting Initiative Sustainability Standards Board, the Sustainable Accounting Standards Board Advisory Group, the FMC Sustainability Council, Acterra, and the Responsible Business Alliance where he served as vice-chairman and board member. Bruce also believed in the importance of mentoring the next generation of leaders in the sustainability field, serving as one of the first experts-in-residence at the Presidio Graduate School. Even in his final weeks, Bruce continued to respond to requests for advice and counsel.
Bruce was an avid player of tennis, another passion he continued to pursue even as he underwent chemotherapy last year and into early 2020. He collected toy robots and pursued photography as a creative outlet. He loved to travel and did so widely, both for work and with his family. He enjoyed action films, science fiction and detective novels, and a fresh slice of cheese toast on sourdough bread. He was a loving husband and proud father and never missed an opportunity to express those feelings. His family hopes he understood how deeply he has always been loved in return. He fought bravely and with dignity against his cancer diagnosis until the very end. His insight, his strength, and his caring presence will be deeply missed by all who knew him. Bruce is survived by his wife of 34 years, Michelle; children Adam and Lauren White (Scott); brother Cary and sister Andrea Klafter-Rakita (Bob); and his extended family of nieces, nephews, and cousins.
The family is hoping to hold an in-person memorial in about a years' time, depending on restrictions, to further honor Bruce's memory. Donations may be made to Bruce's preferred charity, the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network (PanCan).