We first learned of Bruce's passing from a posting made by his wife, Stephanie, on Facebook. For more than a year Stephanie has kept Bruce's friends, admirers and acquaintances up to date with pictures and stories as he battled back from a serious illness. It was a roller coaster ride of epic proportions and one we all hoped wouldn't end so soon.
Since then we've been struggling with what to write. You see, we never had the chance to know Bruce well. Like a lot of you, we knew of Bruce through his contributions to the Porsche community, his work with the PCA, his tech articles and stories in Excellence and other Porsche related magazines as well as his own books (his Porsche 911 Performance Handbook is considered a Bible to many air-cooled Porsche owners).
However, as Stephanie reminded us earlier today, we knew him more for his selfless desire to impart what knowledge he had to all those who sought him out. When we first started this site Bruce was one of the first people to write to us and comment and provide encouragement. If we had a technical question he didn't hesitate to respond. He gave freely of his time and wisdom and asked for nothing in return. Thank you Bruce!
We will not try to memorialize Bruce in this short posting. Instead, those who knew him better will do so over the next days and weeks across a variety of mediums. The posts on Facebook are warm and heartfelt and threads on places like PelicanParts and Rennlist have already started. For someone who gave so much of himself, we just couldn't do him justice.
Celebrate Bruce's Life
A "Celebration of Life" is planned for May 12, 2013 (the day after the ALMS race at Laguna) at Bruce Canepa's shop in Scotts Valley, CA. The event is tentatively scheduled from 1:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. and is open to all who knew Bruce and wish to help remember him. If you do plan on attending, Stephanie asked that you please let her know by emailing so she can keep an accurate head count. If anything changes with date, time or venue we will update this post accordingly.
[Original picture via Leonard Turner taken in Monterey at the 2009 Concours on the Avenue. Edited by FLATSIXES]
Bruce was truly one of the good guys, and the Porsche world will miss him tremendously. He gave tens of thousands of us Porsche enthusiasts the benefit of his vast knowledge and experience, and his books serve as a great legacy. Besides, he was just a great guy!
Nice tribute. Thank you.
Thank you for the lovely words. As he has always known, that funny little German car created an amazing community of folks. Lifelong friendships have been formed. Sure there are the occasional jerks but they are few. And to have lost John Williamson a few days earlier has made a very large hole in this wonderful community.
Stephanie,
You are most welcome. We’re so glad this post found its way to you. As you know, you have our deepest sympathies and we’ll keep you, Bruce and your family in our thoughts. I hope it is a comfort to you how much people think of Bruce and his contributions to the Porsche community. Hopefully we will get to meet you in May! Paula
It must be more than a coincidence that over two decades ago, in 1974, I attended Montgomery College and worked on a series of paintings that in 2000, became “A Hedonistic Celebration Of LIfe in Living Color.” I also became a Porsche owner in 2000. There must be a universal connection somehow, that links these puzzle pieces together. So here’s to Bruce and the Celebration of Life!
RIP Bruce. Condolences to his family. When I first bought my 911 I referred to Bruce’s book and Excellence writings to try to figure this car out… Never met the man but I learned alot from his writings. Bruce’s contributions will last for a long long time.
Hill in CA.
Porsche folks have lost a great friend. Rest in peace Buddy and know that you will be missed.
Bruce was a good man. He made it to Dixie-Tech each year in
Huntsville, Alabama and continued to teach. Rest in peace.