Brenda Turner Bruce

Brenda Turner Bruce, age 73, of Athens passed away on Friday, May 16, 2025. A funeral service celebrating her life will be held on Tuesday, May 20th at 1:00 p.m. at May and Smith Funeral Home Chapel with burial in Washington County Memorial Gardens. Rev. John Pirkle, Jr. will officiate. The family will receive friends from 12 noon until the hour of the service. Pallbearers will be Dakota Spivey, Darrell Ross, Matthew Turner, Brad Roberts, Scott Griffin,John Shea and Josh Skelton.

Brenda was born in Atlanta and reared in East Point where she graduated from Lakeshore High School. She was a majorette in the High School Band and enjoyed any school dance all while working at the local Dairy Queen. She married her loving husband, Cecil Edward “Sam” Bruce, early in life and began her role as a spouse and mother. She lived in Virginia and Tennessee while her husband Sam served in the military. She returned to the Atlanta area where she began a 40 year career as a Mortgage Specialist. Brenda was talented in selecting interior finishes to newly built homes she was involved with. While living in Lawrenceville she was a active member of the Pleasant Grove Baptist Church. In retirement, Brenda and Sam relocated to Sandersville to be near family where she worked as church secretary at Sandersville Methodist Church. She was a regular attendee of White Oak Church. She moved to North Georgia to be near her only son, John, and granddaughter, Ashley. In Dahlonega, she worked with Habitat for Humanity. Brenda always loved to travel. She is predeceased by her parents, Hubert Grady Turner and Ruby Dell Teague Turner, and siblings Carl Raymond and Virginia Amschler.

Survivors are her son John Bruce of Athens; granddaughter Ashley Bruce of Hoschton; her great grandson, Lachlan Spivey; and siblings Charlotte T. Skelton of Gillsville, and Charles Turner and his wife, Beth, of Sandersville.

Please leave an online condolence at mayandsmithfuneraldirectors.com.

Donations may be made to White Oak Church, 8578 Tree Nursery Road, Davisboro, GA 31018 or P. O. Box 1138, Sandersville, GA 31082.

May and Smith Funeral Directors is in charge of these arrangements.