Jimmy Ray Bruce

Jimmy Ray Bruce, 94, of Whitney, Texas, passed away on Monday, November 15, 2021, in Hillsboro, Texas.  Funeral services will take place at 11:00 am, Thursday, November 18, 2021, in the chapel at Marshall and Marshall Funeral Directors in Hillsboro.  Burial will follow at Hillcrest Garden of Memory in Hillsboro.  Visitation will take place from 6:00 to 8:00 pm, Wednesday, November 17, 2021, at Marshall and Marshall.

Jimmy was born in Abbott, Texas, on May 17, 1927.  He graduated from Abbott High School in 1944 then joined the United States Army in 1945, where he served until 1946.  Jimmy married Sue Dell Jackson on July 15, 1950.  He then began a sixty plus years career as an owner/operator of Farmers Gin Company, Abbott, Texas, retiring in 2014.  He worked for the United States Postal Service from 1968 to 2004, serving as Postmaster from July 1981 through September 2004.  A member of West Masonic Lodge and a lifelong member of Abbott Baptist Church, Jimmy enjoyed his retirement years sitting on the bench in front of the Post Office in Abbott.  He waved and talked to everyone who passed by and was truly the heartbeat of Abbott.

Jimmy is survived by his wife, Sue Jackson Bruce, of Whitney, Texas; his daughter Cynthia Bruce Zatopek and her husband Thomas of Azle, Texas; his son, Jim Bruce, Jr., of Houston, Texas; and his beloved cat, Smokey.