Bruce S. Burr ’64

Bruce died April 21, 2025, in San Diego of complications associated with congestive heart failure.

He was born in Elizabeth, N.J., and attended Arthur L. Johnson Regional School, where he was valedictorian, student president, and a multi-sport athlete. During high school he met Patricia Makowsky; their marriage in 1964 would last 61 years. At Princeton, Bruce majored in civil engineering and studied architecture. He graduated cum laude and dined at Charter Club.

Later, while ascending the executive ranks at the New Jersey utility PSEG, he received an MBA from Rutgers and an executive MBA from Harvard. During much of that time he and Patricia, along with their children Tracey and Geoffrey, lived in a historic farmhouse in Martinsville, N.J., which they had restored.

Soon after Bruce retired in 1998, he and Patricia moved to San Diego, where he loved the ocean and all things related to it. Bruce chaired his neighborhood’s homeowners association architectural committee during the years of rebuilding following a devastating wildfire in 2003. He served in that role for 20 years.

Bruce was a true and generous gentleman, and a devoted husband and father. He hugged and laughed easily and often. The class extends its profound condolences to Patricia and Bruce’s family.