Bruce Charles Tuckwell

A CELEBRATION OF BRUCE TUCKWELL Bruce Charles Tuckwell passed away at the age of 80 in Victoria, BC on February 8, 2017. The third son of Arthur and Anne Tuckwell (nee Bruce), he was born in the gold mining town of Kirkland Lake, Ontario on August 26, 1936. Bruce was raised in the Scarborough area with his brothers, Edward, Bud and John. Bruce left Ontario at 18 to eventually join the US Navy. After basic training and travelling the world on warships, he volunteered for Submarine School at Key West Florida and was quickly promoted to Petty Officer. After leaving the Navy, Bruce travelled to England and found work at London's prestigious Kew Gardens. During this time Bruce found a hobby in exploring Britain's various castles, churches, and historic sites to collect brass rubbings, which involved laying paper over an engraved brass plaque and rubbing wax or graphite to create an image. Bruce later designed a unique light table which allowed him to trace his original brass rubbings to make highly detailed and sometimes bright, colourful copies. A true artist, Bruce made hundreds of unique rubbings and paintings, generously sharing them with family and friends throughout his life. Upon returning to Canada, Bruce met Heather Morris in Vancouver, BC. They married shortly thereafter and had two children, Trevor and Cristina. A devoted and loving father, Bruce took great pride in raising his children and enjoyed introducing them to his many favorite places, including the Reifel Bird Sanctuary and Lynn Canyon. Bruce had a love of birds and nature and could (and often would) identify every plant within sight. Bruce went on to create Growing Concerns, a successful interior landscaping company in Vancouver, which enabled him to generously employ family and friends. The company prospered and provided outstanding service to many prestigious offices around downtown Vancouver. After selling Growing concerns in 2000 to enjoy retirement, Bruce built a wood-frame, Kevlar-skinned baidarka (kayak) that he christened ‘Jenny B'. Sporting an artistic and unique paint scheme, the kayak gave him years of enjoyment and allowed him to explore a number of BC's inlets and waterways. Being very active, Bruce walked, explored, kayaked, and rode his bicycle well into his seventies and remained quick to share his witty, infectious sense of humour as well as his generous heart. Bruce will be forever and lovingly remembered by his daughter Cristina, his son Trevor, his Grandson Taryn, Heather Morris, his brothers Ed and Bud, his nephews Tim and Jeff, Jonathan and Jeremy, and the many extended family and friends.