Bruce W. Judd

BARRE CITY – Bruce Whitcomb Judd, 88, of Academy Street, died on Monday, July 26, 2021, at Woodridge Nursing and Rehabilitation in Berlin.

Born November 14, 1932, in East Orange, New Jersey, he was the son of Dr. Wilbur M. Judd, M.D. and Madeline (Whitcomb) Judd Cook.  Prior to moving to East Barre in the spring of 1945, following the death of his father in September of 1944, he attended elementary school in Morris Plains, NJ and Sarasota, FL, and his entire 8 ^th grade year in the East Barre Graded School.  A 1950 graduate of Spaulding High School, Bruce later graduated from the University of Vermont in 1954 with a bachelor’s degree in Commerce and Economics and was a distinguished military graduate of the University of Vermont ROTC program as a 2 ^nd Lieutenant.

In November of 1954, he entered the U.S. Army and attended the Infantry Officer’s Basic Course at Fort Benning, GA graduating in April of 1955.

While in the Army he served as a Platoon Leader and Company Executive Officer in the 1 ^st and 2 ^nd Battalions of 60 ^th INF Regiment of the 9 ^th Infantry Division, stationed in Heilbronn, Germany.  Bruce was discharged in November 1956 at Fort Hamilton in Brooklyn, NY as a 1 ^st Lieutenant.

He later served with the 3 ^rd battalion of the 304 ^th Regiment, 76 ^th Training Division as Battalion S-3 (Operations and Training Officer) and was discharged as a Captain, Infantry, in 1969.

Bruce’s final military assignment was serving with the Vermont State Guard headquartered at Camp Johnson in Colchester, retiring as a Lt. Colonel.

On February 7, 1959, he married Marilyn Ann “Bunty” Allaire at St. Sylvester Church in Graniteville.  They lived for over 40 years at their present home on Academy Street in Barre, where she died on January 20, 2000.

After graduating from the New England Institute of Embalming in 1958, Bruce became affiliated with the Hooker and Whitcomb Funeral Home as a funeral director and embalmer and went on to serve as the corporation’s president for many years.  He was a member of both the Vermont and National Funeral Director’s Associations for over sixty years.

Other memberships included the Sigma Nu Fraternity at UVM, lifetime member of the Barre American Legion Post #10 and the Barre Lodge of Elks #1535.  As an active mason for many years, his memberships included the Granite Masonic Lodge #35, Granite Chapter #26 RAM, Barre Council #22 R and SM, St. Aldemar Commandery #11 KT, all of Barre, and Mt. Sinai Shrine Temple #3 of Montpelier.  In earlier years he had been a member of the Barre Kiwanis Club and the East Barre Congregational Church before becoming a long-time member of the Barre Congregational Church.  Bruce was also past president of the former Barre City Chamber of Commerce and had served on the Barre City Cemetery Commission for several years.

Restoring and repairing antiques and camping and boating at Harvey’s Lake in West Barnet were great enjoyments for many years.  Bruce’s favorite sport was playing baseball as a catcher for Spaulding High School; the East Barre Baseball Team in the Barre Town Summer League; the Barre VFW Baseball Team in the old summer industrial baseball league.  He was invited to a tryout with the former Boston Braves.

Survivors include two sons Brian A. Judd of Barre City and Christopher C. Judd and his partner, Lucy Gordon, both of Barre Town;  his daughter Mary-Anne Judd and her partner Jack Bolick of Burlington, NC; a brother Philip J. Judd of Augusta, ME; and a sister Mary-Jo Brandstatter of Naples, FL; three step-stepsisters Jane Curtis of Windham, CT; Susan Marchesseault of Palm Beach Garden, FL; and Sally Hood and her husband, Robert, of Waterbury; and step-sister-in-law Peg Cook of Sun City, AZ as well as  numerous nieces, nephews, and cousins.

Besides his parents and his wife Marilyn, “Bunty”, Bruce was predeceased by a brother Robert Judd in infancy, stepfather Thomas D. Cook, stepbrother Thomas Cook and stepsister Mary Jean Liston.

Funeral services will be held on Tuesday, August 3, 2021, at 11:00 a.m. in the Barre Congregational Church, followed by interment in Hope Cemetery in Barre with full military honors, next to his beloved wife.

Friends and family may call on Monday from 5:00 to 8:00 p.m. at the Hooker and Whitcomb Funeral Home, 7 Academy Street, Barre.

Memorial contributions may be made to Central Vermont Home Health and Hospice, 600 Granger Road, Berlin, VT 05641 or to the Barre Congregational Church, Ministry of Music, 35 Church Street, Barre, VT 05641.