Bruce Block
April 27, 1938–January 21, 2024
Bruce was born to George Block and Mildred Wehrmann Block in Oakland, California, where he, his parents and his sister Nancy lived. He attended Peralta and Jefferson grammar schools, Hamilton Junior High and Fremont High School. He attended Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo, and graduated from San Jose State with a BS and MBA in 1968. He did a stint in the US Army from 1961 through 1963.
Bruce worked as the material manager at Schlage Lock Company from 1965 to 1969 and then founded Block Awards, a promotions and awards company. In 2000, he became a stock broker with Paine Webber, then Wedbush, and retired in 2010.
Bruce loved all things sailing/racing and spent 7 years as executive secretary of the Yacht Racing Association of San Francisco Bay, 18 years as secretary of the Pacific Inter-Club Yacht Association of Northern California and was involved in both the Intrepid Campaign for the America’s Cup and the Silver Eagle Bicentennial Race. He was also a member of the San Francisco Harbor Committee.
Bruce also loved water sports at Lake Tahoe, where he spent his summers. He was an active member of the Tahoe Yacht Club, serving as commodore in 2012. He loved working on, cruising and showing his classic 1937 Chris Craft powerboat “Tomahawk” and was active in the annual Classic Wooden Boat Show.
On the bay, he actively campaigned his beloved Islander 36 “Block Buster” for many years and served as fleet captain for a year. Other club memberships included the Corinthian Yacht Club, St. Francis Yacht Club and the Olympic Club.
Off the water, Bruce enjoyed skiing, golf and reading classic novels.
He married Donna Schneider Cardoza in 1987 and became a loving husband and stepfather to her two sons, Christian and Michael Cardoza. He leaves behind his wife; two stepsons; their wives, Ruth and Lindsay; two grandchildren, Elizabeth and Luke; nephews Ted and Tim Lemasney; niece Tracy; their children; and cousins Kent and Loren Wooldridge.
A Celebration of Life will be held on Saturday, March 16, 2024, at the Corinthian Yacht Club, 43 Main Street, Tiburon, CA, from 2PM – 5PM.
Assisted by Monte’s Chapel of the Hills, San Anselmo, CA.