William Bruce Brown

Bruce was born and raised in Denver, Colorado. He attended George Washington High School where he played football and baseball. He would go on to meet his first wife, Marcia Homer, in Denver. They both loved the mountains and started their lives together in Pine, Colorado. As their family grew, they eventually moved to Bailey, Colorado with their three children, Matthew, Teresa, and Kimberly. During this time, they ran a small antique store where Bruce would buy and sell wood burning stoves. This began his long career in fireplace sales. After his divorce, he moved back to Denver where he later met his wife of 30 years, Denese Mathisen. They made a home together in Parker, where they enjoyed having property and hosting family gatherings. Bruce spent over 40 years in the fireplace industry and retired in 2017 as the Division Manager of AMI Fireplace Company in Aurora, Colorado. After the passing of his wife and retiring, he moved to the Monument/Palmer Lake area to be closer to family

Bruce had many interests. He always had a love of geology and would seek out rock piles whenever outdoors. In retirement, his rock hunting took place mainly in stores where he bought many interesting rocks and minerals that decorated his house. Sharing his love of rocks by buying geodes and having people break them open always brought him joy and will always be a fond memory for his daughters. He also had a love for calligraphy and included lots of vines and flowers in his various creations, as well as the occasional hidden middle finger. Bruce could always make people smile. He loved making corny jokes such as when a nurse would ask if he had any allergies, he would say he was allergic to the sheriff. He also loved to show off his funny t-shirts he would buy on his various outings throughout Colorado.

Bruce was preceded in death by his wife, Denese, his parents, Joseph and Shirley Brown, by his brother, Jim, and by his sister, Cindy.

Bruce is survived by his children Matthew Brown (Maria), Teresa Brown (Dan) and Kimberly Polonsky (Joe), his brother Kit Brown, and his grandchildren Katlin, Isabelle, and Analiese Brown.

A Celebration of Life for family and friends will be held on May 20th from 1:00 – 5:00 PM at the The Western Museum of Mining & Industry, 225 North Gate Blvd, Colorado Springs. More details will be shared at a later date.

In lieu of flowers, the family welcomes donations in Bruce’s honor to the Western Museum of Mining and Industry. Support Our Cause! | Western Museum of Mining & Industry (fareharbor.com)