Bruce Washburn Jr Obituary - Visitation & Funeral Information

Bruce Leslie Washburn Jr, 70 of Sissonville, WV passed away June 5, 2020 following an brief illness. He was preceded in death by his parents Bruce L. Washburn Sr and Edna Jean Zukowski. Bruce was born August 18, 1949 in Detroit, MI and moved to CA in 1965. Bruce always bragged about being a pretty good athlete and he was right. He was very good in basketball and track (surprise). He went to San Jose State before transferring to the University of Tennessee where he graduated in 1972. Bruce lettered for 3 years on the Track team as a high jumper and decathlete (another surprise). He also started on a pick-up basketball team at UT that whipped every team intramural or independent team they played in Knoxville. They even challenged the Freshman UT team in 1970 and Coach Mears wanted nothing to do with playing them. After graduating, Bruce stayed on at Tennessee as a graduate assistant track coach while working on his Master’s. If you ever noticed the large ring Bruce wore, it was for the 1974 NCAA National Championship UT Track team that he was a coach on. He was also a good guitar player as he played in a rock band in CA (another surprise). Bruce’s claim to fame came in the coal industry where he worked for +30 years for numerous companies in various roles. Bruce was the Tom Selleck in the coal industry with the Hawaiian shirts he wore everywhere. Bruce was an avid sports enthusiast and followed it very closely. There will be no services at this time. Donations may be made to the Kanawha City Veterinary Hospital at 5405 MacCorkle Ave SE, Charleston, WV 25304. Bruce loved his dogs and am sure he would appreciate your act of kindness in donating in his name. Chapman Funeral Home, family-owned and located at 3941 Teays Valley Road, Hurricane is honored to serve the Washburn family.

Bruce Washburn Jr

August 18, 1949 - June 5, 2020