09-04-2025
In Loving Memory of Bruce McCurdy
On Tuesday April 1st 2025, Bruce Jefferson McCurdy of St. Albert passed away at the age of 69 years.
Bruce will be lovingly remembered by his wife Anna of 45 years; his son Kevin (Rose); brother Earle (Tracy); sisters Margaret (Terry) Mackey, and Jem (Shae) Horwood, and numerous beloved nieces and nephews. He was predeceased by his brother David; and parents Sherburne and Elizabeth (Betty).
Bruce was born on October 13th, 1955 in St. John's, Newfoundland. He moved to Alberta for the first time in 1962 and then for the final time in 1971. His brother David died in a car accident in 1975, which profoundly affected the rest of his life. He met and befriended Anna Bellamy in 1976. They became a couple in 1979, married in 1980, moved to a house in Edmonton in 1981, and had their only son Kevin in 1987. They lived in that same Edmonton home until 2016, when they moved to St. Albert.
Although Bruce worked in banking for two decades, he will be best remembered as a writer in several fields, an interpreter at the public observatory at the Edmonton Space and Science Centre (now Telus World of Science Edmonton) and as a hockey blogger and podcaster, first with his own personal blog, then for the Edmonton Journal's Cult of Hockey starting in 2010.
In addition to his professional work, Bruce was a prolific and dedicated volunteer, and a member of numerous communities and clubs. He was a member of the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada – Edmonton Center for over 35 years, earning the Society's Service Award. For many years, the Journal of the RASC regularly published his 'Orbital Oddities,' which he considered to be some of his finest work. He also contributed to the yearly publication of the Observer's Handbook. He was the president of the Edmonton Branch of the RASC for two years, and was involved with numerous other initiatives including work with Alberta Parks on Dark Sky preservation. In 2021, he was honoured by the International Astronomical Union with the formal naming of Asteroid 10086 McCurdy, a fitting tribute to his passion and dedication.
Bruce's eclectic range of musical tastes spanned whole genres, time periods and unconventional beat patterns. He loved being in nature, walking every day, taking pictures of the birds and other wildlife he encountered. Bruce was a lifetime Keeper of Cats and Dogs and never met an animal he didn't like. He was known for his kind, fair and compassionate nature to all the universe's creations, and considered a love of living things to be one of life's greatest gifts.
The other love of his life was Hockey—all things hockey. He was a fan in particular of the Edmonton Oilers, Team Canada, and The University of Alberta Golden Bears. He was a prolific statistician, numbers guy, and analytics guru; a veritable walking encyclopedia of the history of the Edmonton Oilers, able to recall in extreme detail specific stats, events, and even the ambience of games leading up to those events, painting a picture of a moment that went far beyond the numbers. This extraordinary gift fed the wonderful storytelling that contributed so greatly to the local hockey community. That the response to his death amongst the hockey community has been so enormous and so unanimous in its praise for Bruce, in a realm where almost nothing is ever universally agreed upon, speaks highly to both his character and his gifts with words and numbers. Perhaps the most frequently repeated word used to describe him in these tributes has been 'kind,' a legacy he would undoubtedly relish.
Indeed, Bruce was a peacemaker, able to find common ground with nearly everyone he met; his disarming nature will be forever cherished and missed. He was a passionate family man, always finding time to do things with the love of his life, Anna, and their son Kevin, nurturing their own pursuits and supporting their own individuality without question.
A celebration of life will be held at the TELUS World of Science Edmonton on June 22nd, 2025 at 1:00PM. In addition, for those unable to attend, the celebration will be live streamed with details to follow. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations to either the Ben Stelter or Heart and Stroke Foundations, both deeply personal causes for Bruce.
