Bruce Neill

Walden

Bruce Neill Walden, 87, of The Villages, Florida, passed away peacefully at Cornerstone Hospice with his beloved wife, Sylvia, by his side on November 3, 2026. Born October 1, 1939, in Freeville, New York, he was the youngest child of LeRoy and Marion (Stark) Walden.

Raised in New York’s Finger Lakes, Bruce loved fishing and the outdoors. He earned money delivering newspapers and trapping muskrats and beavers and attended Freeville’s Methodist Church—mostly to ring the Sunday bell.

After graduating from Dreyden High School in 1957, he worked on dairy and pheasant farms before becoming a machinist at Smith Corona in Cortland, NY, then National Cash Register in Ithaca. He called it “making nuts and screws,” but his skill earned him a management role troubleshooting NCR plants in Mexico, Scotland, and the US. He fished for Atlantic salmon and trout during his six weeks in Scotland but declined a trip to Japan because it was steelhead season in New York.

Bruce retired after exactly 20 years at NCR to become a New York State Licensed River Guide and hunt pheasants with his beloved German Shorthair, “Schultz.” At a fishing derby in Pulaski, NY, he bought a raffle ticket from the Chamber of Commerce President, sparking his whirlwind romance with Sylvia and their 38-year marriage. They spent 14 years in Pulaski, 12 in the Florida Keys, and the last 10 in The Villages.

He is survived by his wife, Sylvia; sons Jeffery Walden (Shana) of Freeville, NY, and Thomas Walden (Nina) of Dryden, NY; stepchildren James Clark (Kathy) of Fernwood, NY, and Sandra Whitton (James) of Burke, Vermont; 11 grandchildren; and 8 great-grandchildren. He was preceded in death by his brother Donald and sisters Joyce and Pat.

Memorial services and celebrations of life will be held Wednesday, November 18, 2026 at 11:00 at the Congregational Church of Summerfield, Florida, Route 301; and December 12, 2026 at 3:00 at the Wesleyan Church, Route 11, Pulaski, NY.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Cornerstone Hospice of the Villages. Arrangements entrusted with BALDWIN BROTHERS Funeral & Cremation Society-Spanish Springs, 352-430-1449. Sentiments are encouraged at www.baldwincremation.com.