Lucy entered the world on July 5, 1946, with a sense of adventure and a love of animals. As a teenager, she covered the walls of her room with ribbons won from horse riding competitions, and she excelled at South Hall High School. These passions helped her to become one of the early - and rare - female veterinary students at University of Georgia, where she graduated in 1971.
She married her beloved Joe Bruckner in 1970, and then faced his U.S. Army deployment to Vietnam. Her bold spirit and devotion to Joe prompted her to follow him to Thailand where she worked with missionaries and indigenous people, treating their animals. Their adventures continued as she lived with Joe during the war, teaching English to Vietnamese children. Upon their return to Atlanta, Lucy became a veterinarian for the Atlanta Humane Society.
Lucy relished her role as a mother to two daughters: Heather (deceased) and Christy (Nate) of Colorado. She and Joe modeled an enviable true partnership and lifelong love of fun, faith, family, and friends. They traveled to all fifty states and explored exotic countries such as Cambodia, Kenya, China, and Albania. Experiencing new cultural adventures together and gaining unforgettable life experiences. She loved her immediate family, her many close cousins, her extended family, and her abundance of friends. She was always excited to entertain friends, especially on UGA Game Days.
Her death leaves a hole in many hearts, but her scent for adventure, her courage in adversity, and her sense of fun present a challenge for all to embrace adventure and honor a life well-lived. Lucy is survived by Joe Bruckner, husband, and Christy Bruckner, daughter. Heather Bruckner, daughter; Rex and Emma Law Clark of Chicopee, Georgia, parents; and her two brothers Roger and John predeceased her.
Visitation will be Wednesday, September 27 at H.M. Patterson's Arlington Chapel, 5 P.M. to 7 P.M., 173 Allen Road, N.E., Sandy Springs, Georgia 30328.
A funeral mass will be held Thursday, September 28, at 10 A.M. at St. Jude the Apostle Church, 7171 Glenridge Drive, Atlanta, Ga 30328. A reception will immediately follow at the church, with a family burial thereafter at Arlington Cemetery.
In lieu of flowers, a gift to the UGA Veterinary School in her honor and memory would be welcomed or a gift to the charity of your choice.
