Bruce Anthony Maggio

Heaven gained an angel this week with the passing of Bruce Maggio (aka Brucie, Papa, Hun, Dad). He was such a special part of our lives and will be greatly missed. To me, Brucie was the best stepdad a girl could ask for. He was a constant cheerleader, role model and supporter throughout my life. He was both a father figure and a friend – even a playmate when I was little, letting me paint his nails, do his hair and spin me around in the pool “washing machine”. “Papa” shared that same fun spirit and enthusiasm for life with my girls that I hope they will always remember. Best of all, he was an amazing friend and partner to my mom, and for that I am eternally grateful.

We’ll always treasure our memories of his quick wit, warm heart and love for his family and friends. His sense of humor and all the crazy sayings were such a gift that will bring a smile to our faces for decades to come (“Consume mass quantities.” “If it’s for school, it’s free.” “Do a little fishing.” “You did good.”). If you knew Brucie and have a favorite saying (he had so many) or memory, please share. My mom and I would love to hear them. We love and miss you, Brucie!

• Video of Memorial Service on YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7PTNmrow2YE) – If you look at the description of the video there are links to different parts of the video. ◦ Honor Guard – Beginning (0:11) ◦ Service (7:32) ◦ Remembrances (33:05) ◦ Slideshow (45:11) ◦ Prayer / Closing (52:08)   • Video / Photo slideshow for Memorial (https://youtu.be/CNSQkiCdecI)

**Biography of Bruce Maggio

Written by Lois Maggio, Read by Bryan Powell

Bruce Anthony Maggio was born on January 28, 1943 in Brooklyn, New York.  He grew up with his parents Anthony and Louise in a Christian home.  When Bruce was four years old his family moved to Inglewood, CA.  Bruce attended a Lutheran elementary and middle school.  He went to Inglewood High School and enjoyed playing baseball.  When Bruce graduated he enlisted in the Navy. He enjoyed boot camp very much because the food was good and plentiful. He was trained to be a weatherman and learned how to release weather balloons off the stern of a destroyer.

After he completed his service with the Navy, Bruce got a job with Pacific Bell.  His uncle Bud recommended it as a good career.  And it was, as Bruce worked for Pac Bell/SBC/AT&T for 32 years.  He started out as an installer and worked his way up.

Bruce and Lois met at a Parents without Partners social event in 1986. They dated for four years and got married in September 1990.  They both sold their homes and bought a new home together in Valencia, CA.

Bruce’s twenty year old son Greg had graduated from high school and had a serious girlfriend. They soon got married and moved to Portland, OR. Greg currently lives in Florida with his wife Kim. He is a nurse which is a great job to have in Florida with all the retirees.

Bruce was a wonderful stepdad to Lois’s 12-year old daughter, Jennifer.  He was a lot of fun and would take Jen and her friends to the community pool.  He was really like a big kid himself.  He took them to Target and would buy them things.  He would always say “if it’s for school, it’s free’.

Life with Bruce was an adventure.  He and Lois moved eight times in their 33 years of marriage,  Bruce took an early retirement package from Pac Bell in 1995 and Lois joined him in early retirement and quit her corporate job in 2000.

They moved to Cambria, CA in May 2000 and enjoyed six beautiful years there.  Bruce became very active in volunteer work.  He was a volunteer deputy and with a partner would go out and patrol the town. He also became an elephant seals volunteer. He would stand on the bluff above the seals and answer any questions the visitors had.  He joined the Lions Club and volunteered to help restore the landscaping at the Piedras Blancas lighthouse north of San Simeon.

Bruce and Lois became members of a wonderful Lutheran church in Morro Bay.  They loved their Sunday morning drives down Highway 1 with the beautiful ocean on the right and the rolling green hills on the left.  Bruce organized a group of volunteers to help maintain a section of Highway 41.  Once a month they went and picked up trash from the side of the road.

After six years of living in paradise, Bruce was ready to move.  Not Lois, she loved Cambria.  But Bruce could be very persistent and on they went to beautiful Redmond, OR near Bend.  They had a new, custom home built and they enjoyed it.  A total change from Cambria, but they had gorgeous snow covered mountains to look at. They joined a Lutheran church and made friends quickly. Their neighbors became like family and they settled in.

After a few years they grew tired of the long drives to California. Also, Jennifer had married a wonderful young man named Bryan Powell and they had two beautiful daughters, Alli and Kati.  Bruce was a fun Papa and had those kids laughing a lot. It was hard to be so far from the granddaughters.

So they headed back to California after eight years in Oregon.  This time they settled in Lincoln and have lived here 10 years close to Jen, Bryan, Alli and Kati in Granite Bay.  Bruce and Lois have had the joy of spending lots of time with them,  The girls have spent lots of weekends with them.  Papa was always very entertaining and up for anything.

Bruce and Lois found a wonderful and caring church in Saint Matthew Lutheran Church. The church community was so supportive while Bruce’s health declined.  Lots of prayers lifted them up, as did the caring visits to their home as Bruce became less mobile. Their Life group with Marcia Barthel as leader has been a godsend.  What would they have done without Marcia and their awesome group? Bruce had a strong faith and his early church schooling was a great foundation for his spiritual journey. Bruce would always have something interesting to add to their Life group Bible discussions.

Bruce, you will be dearly missed.  You were loved by many and could brighten up any day with your endearing sayings.  We thank God for the blessing of having you in our lives.  We look forward to seeing you again.

**Eulogy for Brucie’s Memorial

It is truly a blessing to have a father that loves and cares for you unconditionally. Someone who’s there to offer guidance and words of encouragement in difficult times and to celebrate with you in good times. I am the luckiest girl in the world, because I not only had that from my dad, Steve, but also with my bonus dad, Bruce.

Bruce came into my mom’s life when I was 8 and since then he’s held a special place in my heart and life. Brucie was so much more than a stepdad to me.

When I was a kid, he was my best playmate. We’d play beauty shop where he’d let me do his hair and paint his nails. At the community pool, he’d be my surfboard or swing me around the pool playing “washing machine”. Bruce made such an effort from the beginning to not just build a relationship with my mom, but to build a really special bond with me as well.
As a teenager, Bruce would drive me crazy. He’d want me home by 9:30 on the weekend or tell me that a pair of shorts I wanted to wear were too short or that something I wanted to do was inappropriate. Oh man I hated that word “inappropriate”. Now, as we have those same battles with our own teenage girls, I realize that he was of course right and that he always just loved and wanted the best for me.
Even as I became an adult, Bruce never stopped being a loving dad; but he really ramped up the role of cheerleader. When I joined Deloitte, he proudly wore his Deloitte t-shirt. When Bryan started working at Blackrock, Bruce donned a Blackrock hat. Whatever we were doing, Bruce was all in on supporting us. He was so good about telling me how proud he was of me. And how “You did good, sweetheart.” His unconditional support was truly remarkable.
But what I will cherish most as I reflect back on my life with Bruce is the amazing grandpa he was to my girls. Bruce was a source of entertainment and laughs in all our lives, but as “Papa” he took the fun meter to a whole new level. He was always on the floor, playing with the girls when they were little. He’d find the best parks wherever they lived and take the girls on adventures that they’d come back raving about. It didn’t matter where we were or what we were doing, Bruce’s imagination and sense of fun would always bring a smile to our faces, creating memories that will last a lifetime.
There is really just so much that can be said about Bruce and the impact that he’s made on our lives, but I’ll wrap this up with five of my favorite things that Bruce loved to say and the lessons that I learned from him.

One of my personal favorite Brucisms growing up was “If it’s for school, it’s free.” I got to be very creative in how I positioned various things as being required for academic success. What I take away from this is the importance of generosity. Bruce was so generous with his time and love, a quality I hope to emulate.
Consume Mass Quantities. Those that knew Bruce, knew he LOVED to eat. Over the last year or two, Bruce would always ask me when we could get together for dinner. Even if we’d just hung out the weekend before, he’d want to know when we could do it again. The lesson for me here is the joy of bringing people together for a good meal and the great memories made around the table. Bruce cherished not just food, but also time with family and friends.
I couldn’t sleep; I was excited about the day. Bruce was an up at 4, asleep by 8 kinda of guy and he’d say it was because he couldn’t wait for the adventures of the day. That is how Bruce lived his life. What a wonderful lesson to live with such wonder, joy and enthusiasm for each day ahead.
Everything has a way of working itself out. This one would drive me a bit nuts as a kid, but it’s a belief that I hold deeply now. Even in what feels like the worst of times, things happen for a reason and do work themselves out. I thank Bruce for that mantra and tremendous life lesson.
And finally, Only for you Bruce would say. This would generally be followed by a little ET finger touch. These three little words mean so much. When he said this, you knew that he truly cared, that he saw you, and was willing to do anything for you. In this last year, I observed this in a whole new light as I saw the relationship between my mom and Bruce. I saw how much Bruce truly loved and valued my mom. She was his best friend and the person he always wanted beside him. I am so thankful that he came into her life more than 35 years ago. Sure, he drove her crazy sometimes, but the love and true commitment he felt for her was unparalleled. I thank him for bringing so much love, joy and adventure to our lives and I hope that I can show that “Only for you” love with those in my life.
There are so many more, but I said I’d keep it to five. As I close, I’ll end with a few of Bruce’s well worn quotes for saying goodbye. He’d say “See you soon, no”? Or “Hasta luego”. I’ll hold all of these special sayings dear. To use his words, Bruce, Papa “See ya. Love ya. Miss ya.”

**Life Lessons from Bruce Maggio by Jen Powell

So much that can be said about Bruce and the impact that he’s made on our lives. Here are five of my favorite things that Bruce loved to say and the lessons that I learned from him.

One of my personal favorite Brucisms growing up was “If it’s for school, it’s free.” I got to be very creative in how I positioned various things as being required for academic success. What I take away from this is the importance of generosity. Bruce was so generous with his time and love, a quality I hope to emulate.

Consume Mass Quantities. Those that knew Bruce, knew he LOVED to eat. Over the last year or two, Bruce would always ask me when we could get together for dinner. Even if we’d just hung out the weekend before, he’d want to know when we could do it again. The lesson for me here is the joy of bringing people together for a good meal and the great memories made around the table. Bruce cherished not just food, but also time with family and friends.

I couldn’t sleep; I was excited about the day. Bruce was an up at 4, asleep by 8 kinda of guy and he’d say it was because he couldn’t wait for the adventures of the day. That is how Bruce lived his life. What a wonderful lesson to live with such wonder, joy and enthusiasm for each day ahead.

Everything has a way of working itself out. This one would drive me a bit nuts as a kid, but it’s a belief that I hold deeply now. Even in what feels like the worst of times, things happen for a reason and do work themselves out. I thank Bruce for that mantra and tremendous life lesson.

And finally, Only for you Bruce would say. This would generally be followed by a little ET finger touch. These three little words mean so much. When he said this, you knew that he truly cared, that he saw you, and was willing to do anything for you. In this last year, I observed this in a whole new light as I saw the relationship between my mom and Bruce. I saw how much Bruce truly loved and valued my mom. She was his best friend and the person he always wanted beside him. I am so thankful that he came into her life more than 35 years ago. Sure, he drove her crazy sometimes, but the love and true commitment he felt for her was unparalleled. I thank him for bringing so much love, joy and adventure to our lives and I hope that I can show that “Only for you” love with those in my life.
There are so many more, but I said I’d keep it to five. As I close, I’ll end with a few of Bruce’s well worn quotes for saying goodbye. He’d say “See you soon, no”? Or “Hasta luego”. I’ll hold all of these special sayings dear. To use his words, Bruce, Papa “See ya. Love ya. Miss ya.”

**Facebook Post

Heaven gained an angel this week with the passing of Bruce Maggio (aka Brucie, Papa, Hun, Dad). He was such a special part of our lives and will be greatly missed. To me, Brucie was the best stepdad a girl could ask for. He was a constant cheerleader, role model and supporter throughout my life. He was both a father figure and a friend – even a playmate when I was little, letting me paint his nails, do his hair and spin me around in the pool “washing machine”. “Papa” shared that same fun spirit and enthusiasm for life with my girls that I hope they will always remember. Best of all, he was an amazing friend and partner to my mom, and for that I am eternally grateful.

We’ll always treasure our memories of his quick wit, warm heart and love for his family and friends. His sense of humor and all the crazy sayings were such a gift that will bring a smile to our faces for decades to come (“Consume mass quantities.” “If it’s for school, it’s free.” “Do a little fishing.” “You did good.”). If you knew Brucie and have a favorite saying (he had so many) or memory, please share. My mom and I would love to hear them. We love and miss you, Brucie!