Bruce Devenny

Bruce James Devenny

June 23, 1962 – September 22, 2021

It is with deep sadness that we announce the sudden passing of Bruce Devenny from pneumonia on September 22, 2021 at the Queensway Carleton Hospital in Ottawa at the age of 59.

Beloved son of Jim and Jean (nee McMillan) Devenny.  Bruce is survived by wife Mary (nee Hall) and son Christopher (Caillie West).  His sister Cathy (Bill Bennett), brothers Eric (Kathleen) and Don (Kirsten), sister-in-law Barbara Kramar (Scott), brothers-in-law Jim Hall (Judy) and Dave Hall (Jodi), and sister-in-law Kate Venturini (Mike) are all saddened by this terrible loss.  His 18 nieces and nephews will miss their loving Uncle Bruce who truly enjoyed engaging with them: Erica (Paul Mead), Samantha, James and David Bennett, Laura and Caroline Devenny, Liam, Alana and Katie Devenny, Geoff Harper, Colette and Justin Schaefer, Alexa, Samantha and Alivia Hall, Madalyn, Molly and Nick Venturini.

Bruce was born in Ottawa and blended in sports, academics, and outdoor activities during his school years at Woodroffe High School (class valedictorian), and Queen’s University at Kingston.

Bruce met Mary in Tampa, Florida and they married in November 1987 in Minneapolis Minnesota. Christopher was born in 1990 and he was the light and joy of Bruce’s life. Bruce’s fond nickname “Junior”, stayed with Chris into adulthood.

Bruce’s career start in Minnesota led to a life-long passion to advocate for people with disabilities and to teach young people. He began working at Custom Contracts and Services, a workshop designed to provide employment opportunities for adults with disabilities. Bruce completed his Elementary Teaching degree at Hamline University in St. Paul MN in 1998.

Bruce, Mary and Chris relocated to Ottawa in 1999. The cottage at Danford Lake was a wonderful and family focused place for the Devenny/Bennett families to be together, all thanks to Grandma and Grandpa (Bop). Bruce was always up for a game of tennis, or to offer a ride around the lake on his sailboat. Often, he would set up a chair in the canoe and take Mary around the lake.

Bruce also enjoyed his time with family in Montana, where he paddled the whitewater, scenic rivers of Glacier National Park with ease and skill.

Bruce, Mary and Chris’ home in Ottawa was the “place to be” during Hallowe’en and Easter time with fun times for their nieces and nephews, young and old. These memories will last forever.

Bruce nurtured Christopher’s love for basketball, through his coaching of Chris’ teams. Not only was Bruce an amazing father, but a caring friend who always had a quirky fact or funny story in his back pocket.

Bruce began his teaching career in Ottawa at several elementary schools before settling at Manor Park School where he was affectionally known as “Mr. D” by students and staff. His kindergarten classrooms provided Bruce the perfect platform to “capture the imagination and foster curiosity in all his students”, as one of his colleagues so aptly described.

Bruce spent many seasons cheering on the Ottawa Senators with his brother Eric.  He curled at City View Curling Club and he helped his US family cheer the Green Bay Packers on every weekend. The Cheesehead hat was a fixture in the living room during football season.

Bruce spent many hours volunteering at school, he set sandbags during the Ottawa River flood, and he was always proud to have earned his way from parking lot attendant to Dock Master at the Christie Lake Kids annual “Canoe for Kids” events.

Bruce will always be remembered for his ability to make everyone laugh, for his kindness and patience with all - especially kids.  He shared his father’s great affection for reading, he was proud of his funny shirt collection, and he had unwavering love for all of his family.

A celebration of Bruce’s life will be held at the Garden Chapel of Tubman Funeral Home, 3440 Richmond Rd., Nepean (between Baseline & Bayshore) on Saturday October 23rd from 1-3 and 6-8 pm.  Due to COVID restrictions, we ask that you register your attendance at www.tubmanfuneralhomes.com or by calling the funeral homes at 613-722-6559 .  In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to:

Christie Lake Kids at https://donate.christielakekids.com/ or to Glacier National Park Conservancy https://glacier.org/donations-for-bruce or by cheque to Glacier National Park Conservancy PO Box 2749 Columbia Falls MT USA 59912