Bruce Frank Haney

Bruce Frank Haney died at age 80 in Powell, Ohio on May 4, 2023. Bruce was a wonderful husband, father, professor, leader and friend who touched the lives of many. He was kind, loving, funny, dependable, handy, generous with his time and was a role model for young men who knew him. Bruce is survived by his wife, Nancy Green Haney; his children, Lynette, Kevin (Denise) and Brian (Sonia); and his grandchildren, Rachel, Laura, Vincent, Nathan, Claire, Brooke and Zachary. Bruce was born on November 8, 1942 in Elmira Heights, New York. His father, Frank, was overseas in World War II at the time of his birth and his mother, Catherine, and he lived on 11th Street. He is a 1960 graduate of Thomas A Edison High School in Elmira Heights, where he was active in the band and in several musical productions and was the Student Council President. It was in the band that he met his future wife, Nancy Green. Their music lockers were right next to the band room door and they kept getting thrown together by the door while he was trying to put away his baritone. Their love grew from there. After high school, Bruce went to the State University of New York at Albany to earn a degree in mathematics in 1964. He stayed on for a masters degree in math with an emphasis on teaching, and he performed student teaching at Ichabod Crane High School in the Hudson Valley. Shortly after his degree and Nancy’s graduation from Oberlin College, they were married on August 6th, 1966 and moved to Fulton, New York. After a brief time on the Phoenix High School faculty, Bruce started what would be his lifelong career at Onondaga Community College in Syracuse. Bruce served as a calculus and statistics professor at OCC for 37 years. During that time he held distinguished posts and was chairman of the Mathematics and Computer Science department, overseeing significant growth in both departments. He earned the Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Teaching in 1995, was President of the New York State Mathematics Association for Two-Year Colleges and authored a Business Mathematics text book with his friend and OCC colleague, John Rogers. During his time at OCC, his friends and colleagues noted “Bruce was always a true gentleman, and we all enjoyed working with him. His students absolutely loved him! OCC and the Math Department have lost a great one”. Shortly after starting at OCC, Bruce and Nancy settled in Baldwinsville, New York, where they lived for the majority of their lives. It was in Baldwinsville that they joined Grace Episcopal Church and raised their family. Bruce became involved in every aspect of village life imaginable. He served significantly in the church, as a lay minister, choir singer, youth group chaperone and in multiple appointments to the church vestry. He and Nancy wrote and performed original songs for the annual Spaghetti Supper and he volunteered in the pit for the Chicken Barbecue every summer. His kids dreaded the social hour after church each Sunday as it was impossible to pry him away from talking with his friends. With his family, Bruce was involved with VGAAC Little League, Cub Scouts, the Community Band and the Baldwinsville Optimist Club. His favorite activities with the Optimist Club were the annual Christmas tree sale at River Mall on Downer Street, the Halloween window painting and leading the scholarship committee which donated money to a Baker High School senior. He was honored with a “Lifetime Member” award from the Optimists. Bruce was so impactful in the community that he was named the Baldwinsville Man of the Year in 1988 by the chamber of commerce. Bruce retired from OCC in 2004. Upon his retirement, he and Nancy began to travel significantly to all parts of the world, including Hawaii, Alaska, Eastern and Western Europe, Scandinavia, Australia, New Zealand and even Russia. Also in his retirement, Bruce combined his love of travel with his love of trains to create a garden railway in his backyard. This installation consumed a lot of Bruce’s imagination and efforts, and was a significant passion for him. He joined the Central New York Large Scale Railway Society, and participated in all of their garden railway showcases, including the construction of a huge layout in the Burdick Drivers Village in Camillus. One of Bruce’s great joys was his family. He celebrated 50 years of marriage with Nancy in 2016 with many of their family and friends in attendance. He deeply enjoyed raising his children, Lynette, Kevin, and Brian and was very involved in many of their activities. He worked extra Summer School sessions to be able to take his family on three cross-country trips pulling a pop-up trailer and staying at campsites all over the US and Canada. He and Nancy have seven grandchildren and made every effort to be involved in their lives. In 2016, Bruce and Nancy purchased a home in Powell, Ohio, to be closer to Lynette and Kevin. They moved there full-time in 2021 during the global pandemic. It was sad for them to leave their friends and history in Baldwinsville after 52 years, but they were happy to remain engaged with their family in Ohio. In Powell, Bruce made daily walks around their home in The Orchards Condominiums and enjoyed the social activities, particularly the Men’s Breakfast with his new friends. Shortly before his retirement, Bruce first found that he was suffering from a meningioma that would ultimately lead to his death. He faced significant medical treatments and procedures with an amazingly-positive attitude and strong spirit willing to continue the fight. His family marveled at how he never let this impact his happy outlook. After a brief stay in a nursing home in Powell, Bruce passed quietly and peacefully surrounded by his family. A service will be held Sunday, May 28, at 4:00 P.M. at St. Patrick’s Episcopal Church - 7121 Muirfield Drive, Dublin, Ohio

Bruce Frank Haney

November 8, 1942 - May 4, 2023