Reverend James “Bruce” Small passed away peacefully at the London Ontario University Hospital in the early hours of August 12, 2022. Born in Orangeville Ontario, on March 5, 1935, he was prone to proudly claim that the hospital was founded by his great uncle, Dr. Ernie Kyles. Bruce would be even more to pleased to know that in fact, the Lord Dufferin Hospital was instigated by a motivated a group of 53 women to act on behalf of the needs of an entire community. His parents James Small and Lola Small (nee Kyles) and further back, had lived in the area since the 1800’s. The family roots come mostly from Scotland and Ireland, seven generations before Bruce. While embracing all of humanity, he was always proud of his heritage, for all the right reasons.

Bruce spent his childhood in Grand Valley. His father was the village butcher. His mother Lola, at one point, qualified as a teacher after riding the bus back and forth to Toronto. She remained a greatly admired teacher and artist until she passed. The record is not sure if Bruce ever had his mother as a teacher, but through her and many other notable ancestors who excelled in their educational pursuits during such early days, education, knowledge and “rising to the occasion” remained central values in Bruce’s life. He graduated from the Orangeville High School and completed his Bachelor of Arts in History from what is now known as Wilfred Laurier University in Kitchener. Bruce followed his convictions – he referred to it as “a calling” with Masters of Divinity from Emmanuel College at the University of Toronto.

In 1956, his life blossomed. Bruce married Sandra “Jean” Christopher. They met and married in the Timothy Eaton United Church in Toronto in 1961. Bruce was 26 and Jean was 21 and off to Bristol Quebec for Bruce’s first charge. As a country boy, no concerns. For Jean, she had never been outside of Toronto. Bruce and Jean gave birth to Laura and Jennifer before Bruce took up a new charge at Stirling United Church, where their son Ian was born. From a village of 200 in Bristol to a town of 2000 in Stirling, the Small’s went further down the 401 to the city of Chatham for his ministry of Park Avenue Church. Their last child, David, was born in Chatham. The family moved 8 years later to London (Robinson Memorial) and Bruce retired from the United Church of Canada at this final charge at Grantham United in St Catharine’s and eventfully moved back to London. His life-long love and dedication to his wife Jean and her eventual passing in June 2020, took its toll on Bruce’s soul and heart, filling him full of sorrow.

Bruce’s children had family of their own, resulting in six grandchildren, Lola, Rachael, Alex, Ben (son Noah) and Nelson. Bruce’s eldest grandchild Niall, sadly passed before Bruce and was always felt as a deep loss to him. No longer was there occasion for good coffee at Starbuck’s. Bruce resorted back to Tim’s with his many great friends in London.

If you asked anyone and there would be thousands of people who were touched by Bruce over his life, what his greatest qualities were, a sense of humor would be tops. The lives he touched on a daily basis, on Sunday morning’s, through all of life’s milestones, from birth through confirmation, adulthood, parenthood, retirement and death, all benefited in some way from meeting and knowing Bruce and the spiritual care he shared.

Bruce personified the values of diversity, inclusion, respect and justice. He was a social justice advocate at heart, taking on and championing the issues of the day, be they and not limited to gender equality, human rights, the environment or homelessness. The United Church could do no wrong in Bruce’s mind. The family dinner time was always dominated by questions about human rights, respect, equality and fairness. Bruce was a spiritual and humanitarian care-giver. He made his mark on the world around him and the world is better for it. Of all of his famous one-liners, perhaps the sincerest was, “remember who you are”.

There will be a Memorial Service for Bruce at Riverside United Church in London Ontario, on October 2nd from 2:00-3:00, followed by a reception until 5:00, also at the church. We welcome all friends and family from Bristol to St Catherine’s and in-between to attend the event. Bruce would have loved to see you there. For those able to come in person, registration is required as the maximum crowd is 180 people. You can register through the Riverside website: https://riverside.on.ca/smallregistration. For those unable to join, you can watch live online at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jq4CCDcW7g8.

In lieu of flowers, friends and family could consider a donation to Fred Victor Mission in Toronto through their website.