Bruce was born in Patterson, NJ in 1955 but lived his entire life in the Denver, CO metro area. He and his younger sister, LuAnn, were raised by their parents Harold (“Hap”) and Marjorie Sanford. Even though Bruce grew up with only one sibling, he was always surrounded by his close extended family of aunts, uncles, and cousins.
After high school, Bruce served in the United States Army and then went to work for the Department of Defense. Bruce spent his entire career working for the United States government, which began as a military police officer and then advanced into safety management where he worked closely with OSHA doing safety inspections and creating safety videos for government workers. He also enjoyed serving as the AFGE government union president for several years.
In December 1985 Bruce married Naomi, his one and only partner, and adopted her 4 children: Tracey, Bill, Matthew, and Pam. They settled down in a small town about 30 miles North of Denver where they bought a house and raised their children. They were married for over 34 years.
The most central forces in Bruce’s life were his faith, family, and grandchildren. Bruce also had his own sense of humor that he often shared with his friends and family…whether they appreciated it or not. But above all, he was a gentle giant with a heart of gold. Bruce passed peacefully in his sleep on Feb 2, 2020 at the age of 64.
Dad / Grandpa,
Today I said a prayer for you; it wasn’t very long. I simply wanted God to know my feelings all along. I know how much you’ve loved me, you made it clear every day. Sometimes in things you might have done, sometimes in words you say. So I wanted God to know how much I cherish you. And I confess that I feel blessed to have a Dad / Grandpa like you.
We love you!
Tracey, Bill, Matt, Pam, Carrie
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