Obituary of Bruce Nofsinger

Roger “Bruce” Nofsinger, Jr. died peacefully at daybreak on Sunday, June 4, 2023, with his wife of 26 years, Julie, and their son Duncan by his side. He was 56.

The son of Winnie Duncan Nofsinger and Roger Nofsinger, Bruce was born in Lexington, Kentucky and grew up in Maitland, Florida. His summer experiences as a camper and a counselor at Eagle’s Nest Camp, in the North Carolina mountains, were fundamental to the extraordinary man Bruce became - instilling in him a love of the outdoors, friendships that broke boundaries and an endless enthusiasm to share his love of life and learning with others. Bruce was a creative, a giver, a teacher, and a leader. He was camp counselor to his core!

Recruited to play soccer at Davidson College, Bruce’s innate athleticism was supercharged by his instinct as a team player. He played left back, but could be relied upon to adapt and apply his skills where they were needed most, even in the locker room where he was a self-appointed team DJ. Bruce’s selfless versatility was a recurring theme in his professional and personal life.

On and off the pitch, Bruce maintained lifelong friendships from Winter Park High School to Davidson and beyond. New pursuits strengthened his zeal for others–– with time, no matter where he was, he only got closer to childhood neighbors, fellow Eagle’s Nest-ers, soccer teammates, or college roommates, one of whom would introduce him to Julie, the love of his life. Together, Bruce and Julie built a life full of friendship, music, massive full-body hugs, and community service. Bruce took great pleasure in his work at Topics Education, a consulting firm he founded that began as a youth news magazine and developed into a company that helped clients inject education and learning into their corporate identities. In addition to this work, Bruce’s wide array of community service projects included serving on the Charlotte Advisory Board of the NC Outward Bound School, Theater Charlotte, North Carolina Council on Economic Education, and of course, assisting Julie in her creation of the thriving Dilworth Community Garden. If there was something Bruce could do to help, he took it on and gave it his all.

True to his nature, Bruce lived fearlessly once diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, and for more than 2 years he shared his experience, self-reflections, and inspiring perspective with family, friends, and even complete strangers on his Caring Bridge site. Music was his therapy. Sharing music and experiencing music with others (live or through one of his signature playlists) was his love. Bruce used one of these playlists to document and share his cancer journey, adding a song for each day, where the title of the song tells his story in that moment. Until the day he died, Bruce continued to find new, creative ways to inspire those around him, whether that be propelling small businesses in Charlotte, or turning friends on to his favorite añejo tequila.

Bruce loved, and he was loved. Along with countless dear friends, Bruce is survived by his wife, Julie, his son Duncan, his parents Winnie, and Roger Nofsinger (Leigh) and brothers Kevin (Heather) and Stuart (Sara).

The family would like to thank Bruce’s life-extending care team, especially Dr. Kunal Kadakia at Levine Cancer Institute, for his endless kindness and dedication, and Dr. Chris Crane at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center.

A memorial service for Bruce will be held on Saturday, June 17, at 2:00 pm in the Lilly Family Gallery inside the Chambers Building on the Davidson College campus. In lieu of flowers please consider making a donation to the NC Outward Bound School in memory of Bruce at https://www.ncobs.org/donate/

A live-stream of the service for those who cannot attend in person will be available at:  https://youtube.com/live/nMwfVsnv1ak

Arrangements are under the direction of Hankins and Whittington Funeral Service, 1111 East Blvd., Charlotte, NC 28203.

Condolences may be made at www.HankinsandWhittington.com.