Bruce Neal Hitchman
August 09, 1949 - July 23, 2015
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Bruce Neal Hitchman
August 09, 1949 - July 23, 2015
Obituary
Bruce neal hitchman passed away unexpectedly of natural causes on july 23rd. In sarasota.
Born in charleston, wv, bruce grew up in aiken, south carolina and graduated from eckerd college in st. Petersburg, fl. Sarasota became his beloved home where he volunteered his expertise for the restoration of the ringling brothers pipe organ and sang with the master chorale.
He was a man of keen intelligence and quick wit, amazing memory and multi musical talents. He was both a gentleman, known for his trademark dark suit and tie; and throughout his life, a gentle man.
Bruce is survived by his mother, margaret herscher hitchman and was predeceased by his father, william raymond hitchman of charleston, wv. He was a loving brother to joe hitchman (nancy) of pauleys island, sc; sister, grace mcgrath (bill) of san diego, ca; and sister, eve carter (alan) of staunton, va.
He is also survived by nephews, bill and sean hitchman, michael (cara) and brendan mcgrath, and nieces, grace guedet (jay) and becky good (eric).
A private family memorial and burial is being planned in charleston, wv at a later date
2 responses to Bruce Neal Hitchman
Michele Tomarelli says:
November 30, 2021
Bruce was fun, intelligent, generous in every way and I’ve missed him for years. (I lost his contact info in the move after graduation; it is a real shame to discover him in an obit.) We met at Eckerd when I heard divine music coming from the Flenthrop, crept in to listen and got caught! He was very gracious, and said I could listen whenever I liked.
I was a grind and didn’t get out at all, but we lived in the same complex. Bruce would see me coming across campus with an armload of books and invite me in for a visit… and an education. He thought I was woefully naive. I said, “But Bruce, my mother has gay friends, He replied, “Darling, they are practically passing!” We talked about all manner of things, however, and one day, he got so intent on the subject of religion, he stopped swishing. I was surprised – I hadn’t thought about swish as a second language. Bruce said that if people knew that he was gay from the outset, he didn’t suffer from the pain of being rejected by a “friend” later. To this day that grieves me: Hitchman was the best. I am very very sorry for you all’s loss.
Tashea King says:
August 10, 2021
Location: Ohio
Hello,
My Name Is Tashea. I Did Not Know Mr. Hitchman Personally But I Know How Hard It Can Be To Lose A Loved One In Death. I Have Experienced The Pain That Comes From Losing Someone Close To Me So My Heart Moves Me To Share With Others What Has Helped Me To Cope At Such A Difficult Time.
I First Want To Say That I Am Very Sorry For Your Loss. I Do Not Know If You Are A Bible Reader Or Not And I Hope I Do Not Offend Anyone, But The Scripture That Has Given Me Comfort Is The One Found At 2 Corinthians 1: 3, 4. It Says, “Praised Be The God And Father Of Our Lord Jesus Christ, The Father Of Tender Mercies And The God Of All Comfort Who Comforts Us In All Our Trials So That We May Be Able To Comfort Others In Any Sort Of Trial With The Comfort That We Receive From God.” I Would Like To Share With You The Comfort I Have Received From God. He Promises At John 5: 28, 29 That “The Hour Is Coming In Which All Those In The Memorial Tombs Will Hear His Voice And Come Out, Those Who Did Good Things To A Resurrection Of Life, And Those Who Practiced Vile Things To A Resurrection Of Judgment.” So God Has Promised That In The Very Near Future We Will Not Only Welcome Back To Life Our Loved Ones We Have Lost, But We Will Also Never Have To Experience The Pain Associated With Death Ever Again. I Pray That This Gives The Family Some Comfort During This Difficult Time. If You Need Anything Or Would Like To Know More About What The Bible Says About The Future, Feel Free To Contact Me. Have A Great Day.