Bruce E. Nickerson passed away peacefully on July 4th 2023 from lung cancer at his residence in Lexington, Massachusetts.

Bruce was born in New York City on January 12, 1938 to Mary and Paul Nickerson. He lived his early life in a series of towns in northern New Jersey: Nutley, Hackensack, Patterson, Clifton and Little Falls. This was followed by short stays in Georgia, California, and Nevada before his family settled down in Charleston, South Carolina. Paul Nickerson was an award winning poet and took a job teaching English at the Citadel. Mary taught English in the public schools. With teachers as parents, Bruce would spend summers in Maine living in the Nubble, an octagon house on a tiny rock island just off of Bustins Island in Casco Bay. These early years shaped both Bruce's lifetime passion for travel, learning, and his enjoyment of words.

Bruce studied Mathematics at Princeton University, graduating in 1959. He met the love of his life, Fran Hamburger, while decorating a hall for a square dance at Mount Holyoke College where Fran was a student. Bruce and Fran married in August of 1960. Bruce took a position with Metropolitan Life Insurance, starting his career as an actuary. Life over the next few years was extremely busy for Bruce as he worked, studied for his actuarial exams, but most importantly, did his best to be an attentive husband for Fran and father for his children: Kelsey, Ken, Zanna and Kevin. Most of these early years were spent in Wilbraham MA where his children remember him playing with them in Spec Pond and building snow forts. Every 3 to 7 years, new jobs would take Bruce and the family to new locations, living outside of Chicago, Washington DC, Milwaukee, Orlando, and Philadelphia, before retiring in Harvard MA to be near his grandchildren Michaela and Rebecca, the daughters of Ken and his wife Kate Deyst.

However, to understand Bruce is to understand the partnership, interests and values he shared with his wife Fran. They both spent years singing in choirs and choral groups. They both were always active in their communities, most recently during their 20 years in Harvard, with Bruce on the finance committee and affordable housing group and Fran on the planning board and the council on aging. They both loved to travel, constantly curious about the world around them. Bruce and Fran travelled to over 150 countries, sharing countless adventures and memories. While Harvard MA was the place they lived the longest, Fran and Bruce loved to vacation at Eagle Camp on Grand Isle in Lake Champlain, Vermont. In many ways they considered Eagle Camp home as they returned there almost every year of their married life, regardless of where they were living. And they both loved cats - Tonkinese specifically. They spent about 20 years breeding and showing Tonkinese cats, winning a number of national awards. Their current Tonk, Bibi, comforts Fran in her loss.

A memorial service will be held for Bruce on Friday, July 14th at 11 AM at the Pilgrim Congregational Church of Lexington, MA. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to Eagle Camp Memorial Fund and sent to Eagle Camp, 505 West Shore Road, South Hero VT 05486.